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12 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024 Editor's letter | DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024 What do you think? We want to know what living well means to you. Join the conversation @maconmagazine or email us hello@maconmagazine.com. L iving well means loving more. How so? Achieving wellbeing is a pursuit we share with our community; it's not an ideal we can reach alone. Life doesn't always let you live well, and we have to love each other through it. For many years, the December/January theme has been "Live Well." In these pages, we aim to connect you, reader, to our stories of how we hold joy, cure our hurt, embrace creativity, celebrate a year of triumph and hardships, understand our people, and, hopefully, feel moments of peace in the midst of our chaotic world. I read a book last year that changed my life. "What Happened to You?" by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry, a renowned brain and trauma expert, is a guidebook to healing from our trauma. This is the heart of the matter, for me: Instead of asking, "What's wrong with them/her/me," ask, "What happened to them/her/me?" It changes everything. You become open to a person's story – or your own story. You may even replace furiosity with curiosity. The book is in our gi guide (page 46). Like other expressions of support and affection, a great gi can make the world a brighter place. We hope our all-local gi guide will inspire you to give thoughtfully to those you love – and give back to your community by shopping small. We're proud to share so many local loving ideas with you. I trust the rest of the stories will open your mind and heart to new avenues for seeking connection and wellbeing. Many live well by and leave a legacy for caring about others enough to effect change. As we went to press, the trailblazing former First Lady Rosalynn Carter had just passed away. "Do what you can to show you care about others, and you will make our world a better place," she said. She asked the right questions and knew her neighbor was someone to love more. I'd say she lived well. In Rosalynn's name, "Do what you can to show you care about others, and you will make our world a better place." Rosalynn Carter Editor, Susannah C. Maddux @susannahcmaddux These neighbors help me live well. Crysta Gober, LaTravius Smiith, and Veronica McClendon rarely miss a Macon Magazine gathering. And we couildn't do any of without our team: Laura Collins and Sierra Stark Stevens, center.