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Natural Awakenings Northwest Florida

Feed Your Joy - August 2020

Aug 03, 2020 07:34PM ● By Daralyn Chase

Time seems to be operating at two radically different speeds nowadays. On the one hand, we’re all moving through daily life in slow motion. We’re home more than we used to be, walking more than we’re driving, and finding pleasure in more serene hobbies, like gardening and reading. For many of us, the frenetic activity that used to characterize our workweek has been replaced by “Zooming” (an ironic name, since there’s no movement involved, and some people have been caught zooming in their pajamas . . . or worse). On the other hand, with the United States at the epicenter of a pandemic, an economic meltdown and global protests for racial justice, the world around us is moving at warp speed. So perhaps it’s good that we’re being forced to slow down, to navigate life thoughtfully and deliberately, to find joy in the small things.  

That’s what this issue of Natural Awakenings is all about. It’s full of articles that will help you find and feed that joy—by mindful walking, for example (see page 36). As Florida’s brutal summers are a potent reminder that our planet is warming, we found joy in “The Upside of Lockdowns,” page 28, which describes the positive effect that quarantine (i.e., less traffic) has had on air quality. This pandemic won’t last forever—even though it seems that way—and the cleaner air won’t either, if we go right back to our old ways. But this is the perfect time to consider how we could make a permanent change in our driving habits, by choosing to carpool or cycle or telecommute or use public transportation a day or two a week.

Since the economic crisis is making us all rethink how we spend our money, this is also a good time to consider sustainable investing—a way to grow your personal wealth while also contributing to the common good. A local expert in sustainable investing, Jacey Cosentino, a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in Pensacola, sat down with us to explain how it works and why it’s a smart financial choice as well as a good ethical choice. You can read all about it on page 18. 

We decided to publish two articles on boosting immunity—a subject of critical importance right now. Parents of little ones should read our Healthy Kids column, page 36, which details five ways to build a child’s natural resistance to disease. (Our favorite suggestions are numbers four and five, which dovetail beautifully.) And anyone with a sleep-breathing disorder, like snoring or sleep apnea, should read Dr. Susan Welch’s article on page 25. Dr. Welch, who owns Wright Parkway Dental Center, in Fort Walton Beach, explains how these disorders cause poor sleep that compromises immunity, and how these disorders can be treated through the use of customized dental appliances.

We hope you’ll find plenty to encourage and inspire you in this month’s magazine. Remember, we’re all in this together, and when we operate from that perspective, we’ll all come out of 2020 stronger. With that in mind, we’ll leave you with this: Wear a mask. It works, and it’s the kind thing to do.  

Stay safe, stay well,

Scott & Daralyn 

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