Dear Readers,

Happy 2018! Is it just me or do the years seem to be clipping by at a faster pace with each trip we take around the sun?! I do love the anticipation and excitement a new year brings, and along with it the opportunity to take inventory of our lives and determine that which we want to cultivate and that which we are happy to let go of.

I focused a lot this past year on letting go—of worry, of fear, of control… “Let go” was my mantra (a statement repeated frequently) for 2017, and one I will continue with in 2018. To be able to relax into the moment and trust in the process/the flow is truly my life’s work. What is your life’s work? What is your mantra for 2018?

These are stressful times we live in. I find that when I practice self-care and work to reduce the stressors in my life, I am able to “let go” more easily. This issue’s feature article on stress offers information about practices we can adopt to help make our bodies and minds more stress-resilient.

This issue also contains our annual Healthy Living Directory—a wonderful resource full of practitioners and businesses dedicated to natural health, wellness and sustainable living. Be sure to hold onto your copy and reference it throughout the year—think of it as your “green pages” for healthy living.

I always like to include a poem with my letter and as I searched for one about the new year or new beginnings, I stumbled across this gem by William Stafford. It gave me goose bumps. I hope you enjoy it as well…

You Reading This, Be Ready

Starting here, what do you want to remember? 
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor? 
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened 

sound from outside fills the air? 
 

Will you ever bring a better gift for the world 

than the breathing respect that you carry 

wherever you go right now? Are you waiting 

for time to show you some better thoughts? 
 

When you turn around, starting here, lift this 

new glimpse that you found; carry into evening 

all that you want from this day. This interval you spent 

reading or hearing this, keep it for life – 
 

What can anyone give you greater than now, 
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?

Happy New Year and Happy Reading

Jessica