This month’s feature story, “Dial Down Stress: How to Stay Calm and Cool”, by Lisa Marshall got me thinking a bit about how I deal with anxiousness. While life seems to be moving and changing faster than ever before everywhere you turn, it’s not only hard to feel up to speed — natural progression feels left out of the equation.

Advancements in technology are changing the landscape and scope of our lives at a pace unprecedented in history. Computations that used to take days and hours are now measured in nanoseconds. Consider that the first useful electrocardiogram machine arrived in 1903; today it’s old news that doctors perform heart surgery remotely using computers and robotic arms.

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are prevalent in news stories, with futurists predicting the end of hard currency. Some believe that centralized banking will move to a decentralized model. A non-regulated financial system might bring wealth to even the poorest places on Earth. Artificial Intelligence, self-driving cars and vertical indoor farms are realities. A super computer that originally took up a square block now rests on our wrist. Innovations are never-ending.

While such tech advances have the potential to improve quality of life on a massive scale, they also bring myriad stressors. It’s daunting to consider how to adopt even a small percentage of ideas geared to make life a little easier to navigate, but meanwhile making life complicated and confusing.

Enter… stress-relieving activities, many of which we explore in this issue. My favorite de-stressor is a 15-minute morning meditation. I’m not sure how it works but most stresses flow out easily to resolution ever since I’ve been consistent with this practice. Another of my favorite go-tos is having my little Yorkie, Cooper, around to greet me throughout the day. My mood instantly shifts and softens just by looking at that adorable face. All he wants is love and play… plus a piece of whatever I’m eating. Loving is simple and life is good for a happy heart.

May you meet life in calm and peace,

Maisie Raftery, Publisher