As the effects of COVID-19 are rippling through, and in some cases trampling over, our concept of life in the 21st century, I am grateful for some aspects of this pandemic. For example, I and everyone on our Natural Awakenings team are most grateful for being able to do the work to deliver high-quality content intended to support you in living a full and healthy life.

Clearly this is a challenging time for most businesses, and we are no exception. Many of our partners have reluctantly been forced to put their advertising on pause until they are able to reopen, rebuild or perhaps ultimately even shutter for good. The effects can feel devastating, scary and insurmountable.

Choosing to take a helpful and productive outlook, we know that whatever happens during and in the aftershocks, is all going to be okay however it shakes out. The mindset—just keep moving forward, don’t let fears take over, keep looking for the blessings—has become my mantra.

For years I’ve been thinking about creating a strong digital presence, interviewing our practitioners and business owners and sharing their informative videos, boosting our email lists, etc. In this respect, the pandemic has been a gift. It quickly became do or die time. With physical distribution of our print edition becoming limited, there has been no choice but to take these very important steps to adapt to our current affairs. It was just the kick in the pants I needed.

Remember the local food movement that became popular in 2014 and later sparked the “shop local” movement? I think it’s time for all of us to resurrect it and support our communities as pandemic restrictions ease. When we buy local, more money stays in the community and keeps our local economy alive. This is something we’ll definitely need for our community to economically recover, so please consider our advertisers when purchasing goods and services related to your wellness needs. We are 100% supported by their monthly marketing dollars. When they know how you found out about them, it’s very helpful for their decision making at renewal time and is deeply appreciated.

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I hope that you and yours are doing well during this time of uncertainty. Thank you for your readership and support over the last nine-plus years. We appreciate it greatly.

 Peace, Maisie