Of the two months with names that can also be used as verbs, March’s verbal certainly has the most energy. May as a verb sounds a little ambiguous. May may be a good month, and then it may not. But on March 1, we’re picking up our feet and striding into a new season—not just a season but springtime. The vernal equinox. Rebirth. Impetus for poetry, memory and romance. A real wake-up call after the tucked-in days of winter.
Gina Malone, editor
So, what to do with all of this newfound energy—both mental and physical? Well, this being our Education issue, might we suggest art or dance lessons? How about taking advantage of the many nature classes at the North Carolina Arboretum or at John C. Campbell Folk School? Wine classes at Metro Wines, anyone?
It’s never too late to learn or to discover new talents or interests. In these pages, as we often do, we visit with artists who found themselves able to dedicate themselves to creating once their years-long, demanding careers were done. That goes for both our Cover and Feature artists, and for one of the authors whose book is featured this month.
If you decide you’re smart enough already, but want to get the blood flowing after the slower pace of winter, there’s plenty more in the following pages that will help expend some of that springtime vigor. How about a game of pickleball, a turkey hunt or volunteer trail work?
It’s also Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day is March 8. And if you’re a wee bit Irish, as many of us are, enjoy Mother Nature’s burgeoning palette of greens while you bake some Irish soda bread, a tradition my mother began many years ago in our family—just a little way of acknowledging, with gratitude, that another winter has been weathered.
Here’s to fresh starts, sunshine and learning something new!
