When I want to keep myself centered and on track, I read the motto printed on the cover of every issue of Natural Awakenings magazine: “Feel good. Live simply. Laugh more.” When I boil it down to the essence of what my goals are in life, that motto continues to ring true and I refer to it often as a gauge for the decisions I make every day.

How will I feel physically and emotionally? What impact will my actions have on myself, others and the world around me? What makes me happy and how often can I share joy?

This month’s issue looks at the notion of Green Living and our Blue Planet and it challenges me like never before to dig deeper into my favorite motto and make appropriate personal, social and environmental decisions, as we highlight an essential part of our existence, our water.

I remember running under the sprinklers to stay cool in the hot summers, watering the lawn and shrubs every evening, routinely washing my car by hand in the driveway, letting the faucet run while brushing my teeth or shaving, and taking long, hot showers.

I became much more attentive to my water usage when I purchased my first home and felt the impact on my wallet. Although a thrifty nature initially helped me create some early awareness about water conservation, the issues of both water conservation and quality have risen to the forefront and are challenging our way of life and our very existence today, both locally and across the globe.

This month’s focus on water is remarkably timed. It was planned months in advance and is acutely relevant on two fronts. While much of Pennsylvania is still recovering from the recent record flood and storm damage, our feature article discusses “changing precipitation patterns that will continue to make weather, storms and natural disasters more severe.”

Equally relevant and timely is a discussion of utilizing the “eco-system services” of a healthy watershed rather than spending money on man-made filtration efforts, while making sure water supplies are clean and reliable. When debating Natural Gas drilling there is no dispute that the maintenance of a healthy and toxic-free watershed is paramount for our survival. The more cogent debate is whether drilling is worth the extreme risk. No matter what side of the drilling debate you take, you’ll be well served in diving into Sandra Postel’s article.

Our bodies crave and need quality water to survive and thrive. Healthcare practitioners spend much time and effort in educating us on this fact. This month we’re pleased to highlight many quality and caring practitioners who support and educate us about natural health and wellness. You’ll find them in our Healthy Spine Directory and throughout the magazine.

My invitation to you this month is to consider how your life and your world might change if you considered the Natural Awakenings motto in your decision-making process. Wouldn’t you like to feel good, live simply and laugh more?

Thanks for reading and for taking personal action within your world.

Dave Korba, Publish