About ten years ago, after reading yet another dismal daily newspaper full of negative news and “sky falling” predictions, I made a career shift into publishing. The magazine you now hold is the result of a process that would not have been possible without super advertisers, great writers and you, our loyal readers. As the magazine evolved, so did the Internet and through it came a good deal of the columnists and even though many have been on board for years, some of us have actually never met in person. At the end of last year, I was fortunate to gather with several of our writers and it struck me how great each one of them is and how lucky I am to know all of them. Each month they contribute to this vehicle that is meant to bring goodwill and serve as a relaxing distraction from TV’s talking heads and the daily newspapers that are practically creating a recession by virtue of the drums they keep beating. Now our writers are human and, like us, incur their share of problems and pain. But each month, they magically place that aside to color our lives with comfort and peace, with thought-provoking topics or humorous pokes at life. They educate and inform us, celebrate the Bay community and salute friends and family and personal triumphs. I got a thrill reading Doug Shaw’s proud tale of his students’ accomplishments this month and was most entertained by Alison’s deer tale and Bob Chalich’s story of his sea voyage gone awry. I got a kick out of Bob giving a nod to his fellow columnist, Bob Staak. Perhaps you have a personal favorite writer. I love all of them. An especially striking column this month whose poignant message will linger with me quite a while is A Day in a Captree Life. The pun is intended here, Bob Staak…you “rock!” You see, Kevin, Matt, Jeff and Tony; Jackie, Barbara, Antoinette, Sandi and Maureen; Chris and Annie, Enrico and Mac; Marty, Pat, Mary, Roy and Joe; Bob Spencer and Ed, Lin and Bill and better-late-than-never Peter and even later-than-that Jeannie all saw in this magazine something they could truly embrace and they seized it. Because of that, we all are very fortunate to hold in our hands, their thoughts and feelings; both heavy and light, but always positive. This magazine began when I got tired of the talking heads and the “who shot who and what politician is in jail or the all-Brittney-type” news every day. I saw this beautiful community and its great people and thought we deserved something far apart from that; something upbeat to celebrate our Great South Bay. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. The media may be screaming “the recession is coming,” but Tina Zucconi’s column is here to tell you the Year of the Earth Rat means abundance and good fortune. This month, we also have a jam-packed Health and Wellness feature section. And it’s all brought to you by advertisers who also agree that we live in a great place and have the opportunity to enjoy precious simple sights and moments every day. So when the talking heads start to have you believing that the sky is falling, we at Great South Bay Magazine say, “look up (or at one of Katie’s paintings on the cover); the sky is beautiful!” Gung Hey Fat Choy and Happy Valentine’s Day to all the advertisers, writers, readers and friends who keep our South Bay great! -sb A