The above quote is from, former Intel CEO Andy Grove, I think he was kidding…but maybe
not. This month’s edition of the magazine focuses on so many wonderful
things: travel, fitness for optimal bone health, and even
the novel idea of bringing your cat to work! This October
issue also marks my five-year anniversary as publisher! I am ever so grateful to those who
have been part of this journey, including my Layout Designer
Suzzanne; Editor Sara; Calendar Editor Theresa; the guys who help get this information
to you, Clem and Bill; and Marketing Director Carol. Without them, these
five transformative years would not have occurred for me or for the magazine.
I am not being dramatic. You see, October 1, 2012, I launched my very first
issue of Natural Awakenings Long Island. I had amazing intentions for the magazine
and had invested my hard-earned money so that I could publish it. Some 25
days later, I awoke to one-third of my house destroyed—my entire office in ruins—
and my town in shambles, all thanks to Hurricane Sandy who paid an unwelcome
visit. Without the help of these people while I was putting my life back together, I
would not be writing this letter today and would not have been able to write my
first book, A Year of Inspired living (www.ayearofinspiredliving.com), which is available now on Amazon and Barnes and
Noble (shameless plug!).
Here we are five years later watching a phenomenon of destruction in the
form of hurricanes the likes of which we have not seen. As I write this, I pray for
my friends in both Texas and Florida, as well as two Natural Awakenings publishers
that live in a place I love like a second home, Puerto Rico.
Success…complacency…ultimately failure? Perhaps…
When I look back at the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, our great country grew industrially
at an unparalleled rate. Simply compare electronics of the ‘70s to electronics
of 2017—it is truly mind boggling. Good for us. SUCCESS! Or is it? Don’t get me
wrong, success is not something I am against. Complacency, which often comes
with success—that may be where we have gotten off track. We are failing as a
collective group to protect our planet. Never was this more evident to me than
when I watched the brilliant Jennifer Lawrence and ethereal Javier Bardem in the
movie Mother! Without giving too much away, I went to the film nervous, I was so scared
truth be told I hate scary movies, I think the last one I watched was Wizard of Oz (I still
can’t get that witch and those flying monkeys out of my dreams!) I was scared because I
thought Mother! was a typical horror film; however, I told myself, “Don’t worry, it’s not
real, it’s just a movie,” I didn’t realize the fear based movie is really an allegory
depicting a far too horrific reality.
We as a society in our successful lives are rapidly exchanging one new item
for the next; we are filling up our landfills and burdening the Earth with both our
heavy waste and our consumption of her resources, and it is proving to have dire
consequences. Humankind must stop the arguing—the left verses right, the religious
verses the agnostic, and even discontinue the whole “one life matters” over
“another life matters” rhetoric—and must recognize HUMANITY IS WHAT MATTERS.
And guess what, humanity? Our grandkids (and their grandkids) are going
to need a place to live. We have but one Earth—care for it, foster it, cherish it, and
in return, all of the riches can be yours. Limit your consumption of resources, turn
off lights, unplug appliances, and simply consume less. Perhaps if we take care of
Mother Earth, she will take care of us. It’s that simple. All I ask of you the reader as
you delve into this month’s issue is that you remain conscious of your own carbon
footprint—well that, and also that you consider bringing your cat to work. 😉
