I can’t imagine living a life where every day is the same. Doing the same task each day or driving the same route every month defies my nature. Most people I know are either one way or another. There are those who settle into the same routine each day like it was a warm blanket on a cold wintery day. They attribute their successful, happy peaceful life to repetition and predictability. 

 

The other type, like myself, may find pleasure in being involved in three or more novels simultaneously, never cooking the same meal twice and learning to do something new every day. I usually embrace challenges and I’m passionate about doing things I have never done before. For many years, my email signature was adorned with the quote, “Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.” (Author unknown.)

 

This month was nothing short of trying something new as I learned how to digitally lay out our two magazines in InDesign, a production program I feared using for more than two years.  I am embarrassed to say it was nothing to fret over. The program is amazing with all its tools, libraries and efficient techniques that make even two, 44-page publications easy as pie. It was more demanding to tweak all the fine details, which I compare to carving a Popsicle stick. In all openness, it was a joy. For years I received great satisfaction just from seeing each issue come together. I didn’t realize how much more fulfilling it would be to physically build it. Perhaps it’s like having a baby, and then getting to dress it up for a special occasion. It’s just new.

 

Which leads me to to share, along with all of the Natural Awakenings family and our healthy living community, a warm and heartfelt congratulations to Emily Schultz, Natural Awakenings community liaison, and her husband, Michael, who added a beautiful bouncing baby boy, Kellan Isaac, to their family at 5 p.m., July 21, weighing eight pounds and measuring 20.5 inches long. Emily, also a fitness instructor, was driving around town delivering magazines and interviewing health and wellness professionals right up to the last minute. “I feel human again,” claims Emily. “I am so happy he is finally here with us.”

 

The month’s feature story, “Rethinking Cancer,” offers simple new ways anyone can alter their routine to help effectively prevent and prevail disease. As teachers, parents and students prepare to go back to school, this edition is jam-packed with helpful hints to keep kids sharp and healthy. Yet, it’s our “Happy Parents Happy Kids” article that puts it all in to prospective, as Meredith Montgomery, publisher of Mobile, Alabama’s Natural Awakenings magazine, reveals Renée Peterson Trudeau’s approach to soulful parenting. As our slower, longer days begin to wind up again with activities, schedules and deadlines, take a moment and discover ways to embrace the present moment.

 

Be mindful, stay present and find joy!

 

Daralyn Chase, Publisher