My 2016 is off to a great start. Among other things I have exciting travel plans taking shape, fresh ideas for the magazine, and some wonderful new people orbiting through my world. The year already has a different energy than 2015 did. Last year many ideas were put into motion; this year, it feels like they will quickly come to fruition. Whether it’s good preparation, the planets in position, or my thoughts finally attracting the right response from the universe, I feel everything clicking into place. Part of that stems from the people in my life that are there when I need them—friends.

We explore that subject this month with articles on friendship. A short, but powerful, piece is our Inspiration column (page 34), “Deep Listening,” which explains what an invaluable gift our wholehearted attention is to our friends and family. In “The Power of Friendship,” I especially appreciate the author’s focus on the importance of making friends of different ages, languages and social status. Many of the friends I’ve made in the last year are of this type, and the differences have enriched the relationships immensely. What’s more important than similarity of age, gender, or background is that the people I surround myself with are upbeat and positive, laugh easily, and offer a heartfelt smile to others. Friends like that help those around them live happier, more productive lives.

Our second theme in February is Functional Dentistry’s perspective on how dental health affects the body’s health. In “Your Mouth Tells a Story,” on page 18, author Linda Sechrist discusses links between oral health, nutrition, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular health. We follow that with an article profiling outstanding local dental health resources and practitioners who embrace the whole body approach. To round the theme out, one of those practitioners, Dr. David Grayson, fills us in on his natural solution for calming dental anxiety: hypnosis. You can read more about that in his healthbrief on page 10.

Sharing experiences is what strengthens friendships, so don’t forget to check out our calendar of events online and in print, and make plans to attend some of the upcoming body-mind-spirit events.

Ana