Welcome to Natural Awakenings’ version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We dream of the day that people everywhere are happy and healthy, with well-functioning families happily adventuring through green fields and woods or relaxing together by a sea or lake, all the while enjoying clean air, pure water and nutritious foods. I cannot imagine any parent that would not want that for their child or grandchild. Any moment spent operating in perfect harmony with ourselves and others in a beautiful environment creates a golden memory worthy of lasting a lifetime; it helps to give the generations a thread to follow and a standard by which to lead their lives. It ripples out to encompass entire societies of whole human beings that care for the Earth.

Our special August issue focused on Healthy Families is packed with practical tips, insights and resources for you to use in helping your family live a better dream. We start with no-fuss, stay-trim family style eating strategies from Registered Dietitian Matthew Kadey, on page 30. On page 34, Kathleen Barnes interviews national experts for ways to naturally safeguard and improve our children’s immunity. Then, Clinical Psychologist Wendy Mogel explains how adults can diminish the stress that today’s students experience at school and help them achieve balance (page 36). Making the most of our area’s peak seasonal bounty, we also serve up recipes for a delicious summer supper (page 46). We hope that all of our articles help you and your family to thrive.

Lately, I’ve been focusing my own energies on creating what I would like to see in the world, instead of reacting to that which I deem undesirable. Many people refer to this mindful state as “intentional living”. Yes, it’s a challenge to revise our thought patterns, but I am discovering that it happens more when we become aware of the folly of complaint. Giving people grief simply doesn’t achieve the desired result. Intentional living requires that I place myself more in the mindset of what I want to be and support it with constructive thoughts and actions rather than giving my energy to the problem. I am better served by first envisioning the dream, then trusting that the universe will align to make that dream a reality in ways even better than I imagined.

Working individually on behalf of a common good is the best opportunity we have to better our present world and shape the future we want. We cannot trust businesses that market harmful products proven to threaten our long-term health or destroy the ecology we all need to survive. We cannot count on political leaders to consistently do the right thing when so many are complicit in creating undesirable outcomes for selfish reasons. It’s up to parents and neighbors and other enlightened citizens to join our energies with idealistic youths in defending our God-given right to the dream of a better outcome. Intentions are power and they start here, today.

 As Martin Luther King, Jr., so famously announced: “I have a dream….”  Natural Awakenings readers’ dreams, too, can move mental mountains. That’s where progress begins.

 I, too, have a dream…

Reid Boyer, Publisher