Even in an area with the most nuanced differences between the seasons, Spring is always evident in our lives as we tap into our cycles of new growth and optimism for what lies ahead. Leaving aside the annual chore of spring cleaning and simplifying what has lingered and left over in our lives, it is truly a time to look ahead and appreciate everything and everyone around us. I personally can’t help but think of how excited I feel when Spring rolls around — we are unbelievably halfway through the school year, and before we know it, our brisk evening outfits will lose another layer or two as the days lengthen perceptibly.

In this issue, we bring you Deepak Chopra (“Bearable Lightness,” page 78), who graciously invited us into his Manhattan home for a conversation on the not just the benefits of focusing on healing, but also a topic that cuts across our community’s lines. He shares his passion for creating the framework and foundations to address stress, anxiety and mental health in general. Ahead of his planned summer trip to Hawai‘i, Chopra invites us all to reflect on ourselves and those around us, and in our own ways to dip our toes in this realm, and pause for a reflective moment, because as he says, “joy is fundamental.”

Further along, after perusing stories about Vermont’s Twin Farms retreat (“A Little Bit Country,” page 108) and Aulani’s ‘AMA‘AMA restaurant (“West Side Glory,” page 118) — two places that satisfy a multitude of one’s cravings — we stop in closer to home in the hills outside Waimea on the Big Island, where artist John Koga has established his new studio. Four years after relocating away from his Manoa Valley home and studio, the renowned artist shares how the stresses of urban life have been replaced by the pace of country living and his newfound rural community. Koga has “unplugged, but reconnected,” and is working at the same amazing pace. There’s nothing like being surrounded by serenity and new influences to help one speak louder than ever through one’s work. Find out more in “Stable Movement” on page 104.

And one’s work is never done without recognizing all those who helped shape our prior year here, as we deliver an ever-changing array of stories and images for you, our readers. Every piece has a cast of supporting talent behind it, and I must credit the whole team — from our writers and photographers to our entire in-house crew — for delivering their all in helping create the issue that you now hold in your hands. Spring forward, and let’s all enjoy this season of new growth.

Aloha!
Margie Jacinto, Publisher