That’s me on the front cover, looking out over the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Carolinas. When this photo was taken over three years ago, we had no plans of making this area our home. And I certainly had no plans to turn this photo into a cover. But apropos to our “Transitions” Issue, things, people, and plans, do indeed change.
It all unfolded rather quickly. This past summer, Andrea and I headed to the hills of northwestern South Carolina — eight hundred miles south of our former home on the North Shore of Long Island; light years removed from the place of our upbringing in New York City.
Change is good!, we love to tout each Autumn Issue. Always easy to say that when the change involves someone else. Now we’re getting to find out first-hand just how good this change is 🙂
Moving usually involves some sort of trade-off. We’re loving the country mountain living; conversely, we’re missing the beaches and especially our community. Having said that, we’ve found the folks down here to be wonderfully friendly and genuinely courteous and respectful. We’ll still get the four seasons — but for us, a more favorable balance. We suspect we’re going to really like the winter.
Concerning this publication, only the location of our home office has changed; nothing else is affected — and we are maintaining a NY base as well. Conveniently, we are now very close to two of our production team members, Lainie and Ginger who live just 45 minutes north of us in the Asheville, NC area (it was Ginger who snapped the cover photo).
This issue marks a milestone: Spanning some 34 years, this is the 200th edition of Creations Magazine. Interestingly, Andrea and I have now published roughly the same number of issues as our predecessor and founder, Vijay.
On an extremely sad personal note, my best college buddy, Juan, who has been an integral part my life, transitioned from this physical realm in August. His sudden passing was especially jolting as he had not been ill, and had received both shots a few months prior.
I didn’t intend to go here, but this video link, https://www.instagram.com/reel/ CTr781YFtss/ was shared with me as I was writing this column. Entitled, Where’s my card, I found it amusing, but more provocative.
Basically, this woman’s premise is that “since everybody’s getting a card,” (drug addicts have a methadone card, those getting the shots get a card), she feels she ought to get a card of her own, such as a “Healthy Immunity Card,” and the “I Take Care of Myself Card.” Something she “can flash around and be proud of.” She furthers her case stating she eats well, exercises, and works hard to achieve optimal well-being. She’s on day 42 of a cleanse, eating only fruits and vegetables, drinking lots of water, no alcohol, and does not smoke cigarettes.
This woman is clearly demonstrating a sensible proactive approach to staying healthy by supporting and maintaining a strong immune system. As a still sovereign individual, she is taking responsibility for her own health. Isn’t this what we adults should always be doing?
Peace All-ways,
Neil & Andrea
