One step forward, two steps back! At least that’s how it feels this winter. I had thought that the snowy weather was finally breaking; spring was on the horizon. We could see it, smell it, and then BAM, the first day of spring brings Long Island 4 inches of snow. Such is true with life, I guess. The diets we start, where we feel healthy and are eating clean all week and then over the weekend we eat snacks or a dessert that no human can, or should, resist. It happens with fitness as well. One day, we run optimally, then the next day we’re unable to finish a mile without a break to walk. Or when our yoga poses feel perfect one day—strong, beautiful even—and then the next day our warrior asana looks and feels more like it should be called “wounded warrior” (which is a phenomenal organization but not how you want your yoga poses to feel). These setbacks make it hard not to get discouraged and quit.
And at work? I am sure we have all experienced that workday or workweek where we are riding along on a wave of success, only to watch as someone else gets the promotion, the raise, the accolades. Or worse, we make a silly mistake and come tumbling off that wave. Currently, I am working on a book. I start writing, only to see an email pop up or a photo on Facebook (follow us at Natural Awakenings of Long Island) and get distracted and can’t even remember where I was headed.
Yet, the Earth’s very existence is a good reminder that should we choose to care for something, then there is always another day. This issue is packed with editorial on great ways to care for Mother Earth. See what some cities are doing with their waste in the brief “Curbside Composting” or learn about the locavore movement of eating locally produced foods (see article “The Food Artisans”). In the article “Spring Greening,” you can find some simple solutions to make your home toxin-free, such as using distilled white vinegar for disinfecting or baking soda for scouring; liquid castile soap for sudsing; lemon juice for degreasing; and olive oil for polishing. Perhaps you will connect to my personal favorite piece this month: “Home-Grown Organic Made Easy,” because under that snow, there is soil, and tomorrow can be the day you start your own organic garden! All the articles in this edition offer simple tips to assist you as you strive for a healthier family and a healthier Earth. They are not mutually exclusive. Why do people want health? Often it is because it means longevity—another day.
Another day to make up from that argument; to get over the anger felt about a perceived injustice; to take out your cookbook and get back on the road to eating healthfully; to get on your spin bike or hop into a headstand; to kiss your loved ones; and to make a stranger smile. And for me, another day to get back to my book (which I promise I will do RIGHT AFTER I finish this publisher letter—that’s if I don’t jump on Facebook first ). Yes, for many of us, health equates to “another day.” This is the same reason we need to care for our planet, so that it, too, has another day.
Malama Pono!
Kelly Martinsen, Publisher
