GOLDIE HAWN

The Beverly Hilton

Beverly Hills, CA

May 4, 2023

Photo credit: Goldie Hawn

Don’t let the blonde hair fool you. This lady is a powerhouse. Oh, she’s cute as a button in her little tank top and tight blue jeans, so perfectly torn at the ankles. They were just the right length to flaunt her black booties with the pointed toes and spiked heels. She comes across as a playful teen without a care in the world but don’t believe it. She cares quite a bit.

We were at a super swanky high-minded conference in Beverly Hills. Over 3,500 people had come from all parts of the globe to participate in this consciousness-shifting 3-day event, and the entire Beverly Hilton hotel was off limits to anyone who hadn’t.

Sitting in to listen to my first panel discussion of the day, Goldie Hawn spoke proudly about her Foundation and its signature program MindUP. This program is designed to teach kids how to maintain a healthy mental state. When life gets to be too heavy, they are encouraged to close their eyes and drift into quiet meditation.

Ms. Hawn is passionate about this admirable program and though I considered approaching her after the presentation, I didn’t. She wasn’t acting like the bubbly gal I expected. Instead, she appeared to be brimming with purpose. The vibe was too serious so I left.

Hours later as the day was coming to a close, guests were invited out on the back terrace of the hotel for a first-class surfing safari. The Beach Boys were on stage with John Stamos featured on drums and guitar. Rented palm trees had been brought in along with some cute retro beach bunnies who were sprinkled into the crowd for ambiance. A couple of hundred executives with a 50-year age span among them happily stood in their business suits and bounced inflated beach balls while the music played. The band sounded fantastic and John Stamos was invigorating, which helped to bridge the gap between generations.

As we enjoyed the lighthearted hits, a friend pointed to our right where Goldie Hawn was dancing alone in the back of the crowd. She was tan and cute and danced like she meant it.

Clearly a carefree spirit, she was enjoying herself and was definitely more relaxed than she had been the first time I saw her. This time, she had a tropical drink in her hand, a fresh Hawaiian lei around her neck, and her snazzy bejeweled jacket hanging loosely off her shoulders looking adorable. The opportunity for her to take my picture was presenting itself again in a much more attainable manner so I approached her.

She turned to look at me and I said, “Hello,” then she saw my camera and her mood instantly changed from joy to what seemed like fear. Her eyes widened as she pleaded, “No, no, no."

It was too loud to explain my project but I leaned over to try. She was very guarded and slightly pulled her head back. I didn’t immediately walk away after her rejection like she might have hoped and in the extra second that I stood there, she quickly changed her mind. Or maybe she gave in. Either way, she sighed and reluctantly said, “Well, okay,” while her body language muttered, Let’s get this over with.

She started to walk toward me to pose for a selfie but I held up my hand to stop her. She looked confused. Because we were unable to talk I did a little pantomime of what I wanted, as I had with David Hockney, then I held out the camera hoping she would play along.

Once she realized I didn’t want a picture of her, she cheered right up and busted out her vibrant Goldie Hawn smile. Her mood did another 180 but this time her eyes lit up and a playful light radiated out of her. It was the Goldie Hawn we all know and love.

Relieved by her change of heart, I handed her the camera. She backed up, I posed, and she snapped this photo. Her eyes were still glimmering as she returned the camera and admired my request. She was beaming with joy. “Oh, you’re so CUTE!” she said, and she reached out to softly paw my forearm.

She stood looking at me with approval and seemed interested in knowing more, so I leaned over to explain my concept. But, whoops! Another song started and she wiggled away to bop to a new tune. “If everybody had an ocean, across the U.S.A., then everybody’d be surfin’…” The nostalgic crowd (and Goldie) sang along with the golden oldie.

This interaction kept me on edge but I am elated that it all worked out. Thank you so much for the picture, Miss Hawn. I’m so glad that you ultimately liked what I am doing and wanted to play along. You are a bright well-packaged ray of sunshine and I appreciate you shining on the kids who need you. Now every time I hear The Beach Boys I will think of you and the fun two minutes we spent together. My inner Hawaiian wants me to add a heartfelt mahalo.