{"id":87802,"date":"2026-01-28T06:00:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T11:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=87802"},"modified":"2026-01-26T12:12:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:12:54","slug":"from-the-editor-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Editor:<\/strong> February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already. And there\u2019s Valentine\u2019s Day to remind us of hearts that beat the rhythms of our lives and that ache at times with longing, love, grief, joy and sorrow\u2014declarations that we are alive, that we are human, that we are connected.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Gina Malone, Editor<\/p><\/div>\n

As we consider health and wellness on these pages, we can offer only a shaving from that proverbial iceberg whose tip is all we ever discover. The fields of health and wellness encompass vast opportunities for personal exploration. And at a time when good information about health, both mental and physical, is hard to find, we\u2019re all better off for the extra effort we put into finding the most trustworthy people, products and services to move us in the right directions.<\/p>\n

Organic Bodyworkx, in Sylva, offers natural and organic products for every facet of a family\u2019s well-being, right down to pets. At West Asheville Aesthetics & Wellness, a team of professionals guides clients in the right direction for looking and feeling more like themselves. And, if it\u2019s more movement you\u2019re seeking, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts offers a range of yoga and dance classes for every level.<\/p>\n

Our Spotlight this month falls on Resources for Resilience, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Western North Carolina residents find ways of managing the difficult parts of being a human including not only grief, stress and trauma but the everyday stresses common to us all. The organization\u2019s executive director, Ann DuPre Rogers, says this about mental well-being: \u201cIt\u2019s something you invest in regularly, so you have skills you can draw on any day, anywhere.\u201d Check out Jackson County\u2019s two trails certified by the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy, places where Nature calms, soothes and restores as only She can. And read all about local production of nutritious\u2014and native\u2014elderberries.<\/p>\n

It goes without saying\u2014but I will anyway\u2014that the arts and our own creative explorations bring much positivity and tranquility to our lives. That includes art and crafts exhibitions; musical, dance and dramatic performances; literature; and classes and workshops\u2014the good things in life that we at The Laurel<\/em> always strive to cover. Our Cover Artist, Raphaella Vaisseau, offers lovely wisdom about her own art\u2014what it means to her and what she hopes it means to others.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s wishing the best of health to you all as we move into this brand-new year!<\/p>\n

Gina Malone can be reached at gina@thelaurelofasheville.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":41796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom the Editor: February 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From the Editor: February 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Laurel of Asheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelaurelofasheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-28T11:00:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"694\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"361\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amy Pryor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AshevilleLaurel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AshevilleLaurel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amy Pryor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amy Pryor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\"},\"headline\":\"From the Editor: February 2026\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-28T11:00:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":462,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"From the Editor: February 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-28T11:00:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\"},\"description\":\"What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"width\":694,\"height\":361},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-february-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From the Editor: February 2026\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Laurel of Asheville\",\"description\":\"The Arts and Culture of Communities Across the Mountains\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\",\"name\":\"Amy Pryor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amy Pryor\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From the Editor: February 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville","description":"What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From the Editor: February 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville","og_description":"What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already.","og_url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/","og_site_name":"The Laurel of Asheville","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelaurelofasheville","article_published_time":"2026-01-28T11:00:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":694,"height":361,"url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amy Pryor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AshevilleLaurel","twitter_site":"@AshevilleLaurel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amy Pryor","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Amy Pryor","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00"},"headline":"From the Editor: February 2026","datePublished":"2026-01-28T11:00:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/"},"wordCount":462,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","articleSection":["Lifestyle"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/","name":"From the Editor: February 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-28T11:00:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00"},"description":"What better month than February to focus on well-being? It\u2019s cold, sometimes dreary, prone to snow, but the sprouts of spring bulbs push through the bare ground and, in some cases, are blooming already.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","width":694,"height":361},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-february-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From the Editor: February 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/","name":"The Laurel of Asheville","description":"The Arts and Culture of Communities Across the Mountains","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00","name":"Amy Pryor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amy Pryor"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87802"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87804,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87802\/revisions\/87804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}