Craig Scharton

One of the best things that ever happened to me, I would say, is that I got cancer when I was 23.

I realized that we have one very precious life and I wanted to make sure and do good with the one I had and use it all up.

And so I've been very fortunate to try to do things that had meaning.

This life is an incredible gift and squandering gifts leads to a lot of unhappiness.

Oh, my gosh.

This time of year, I have my bizarre holiday track, which is the Hanukkah song by Adam Sandler.

Love it.

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, and Merry Christmas with the Family by Robert Earl Keene.

Those are the top three that come to mind, but they're all, as you can tell, have a humorous bent to them.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm a big fan.

Although that song is inappropriate, none of you should listen to it.

Well, yes.

So I always keep my five ideals in mind, which are love, truth, beauty, wisdom, and peace.

And so that's kind of my mantra I developed over the years during meditation.

And the other is just spread joy and reduce suffering.

If I keep it simple like that, I can usually stay within sight of my path.

I was born in Fresno, California, which is the lesser known agricultural part of the state.

The eight counties around Fresno grow more food than any state in the country.

So it's wildly productive, 350 to 400 different kinds of crops.