President’s Message

Paul Jester, PLA, ASLA 2022 President “May You Live in Interesting Times”

In life, we come across phrases and mantras that help to shape our perspectives on the world and how we strive to live. I shared one at the beginning of the year, but I recently learned of another saying that is very applicable today, and I wanted to pass it along.

“May you live in interesting times.”

Some would consider it a blessing, and others might consider it a curse. Regardless of your perspective, I think we can all agree that the last few years have been “interesting times.” Outside of the obvious COVID-19 pandemic, many global events, including wildfires, social justice concerns, a new presidency, and wars throughout the world have been impacting our lives. Unfortunately, interesting times are historically associated with negative emotions and events, but much of these lead to momentous and positive changes for the future.

While we can’t control these events, they still impact our daily lives and interactions. According to Forbes, psychology experts have predicted a “tsunami of psychiatric illness” in the wake of quarantining and distancing. And CDC studies have found that the percentage of the population reporting that they felt depressed has quadrupled! Our industry has been fortunate to remain working through the pandemic, and we get to be outside in nature to experience biophilia and all the positive effects that come with it. But even with this in mind, I would ask that each of you do a self-check of yourselves and coworkers to ensure that our health and well-being is the best it can be. I know we are in our prime busy season, with ZERO time for anything else, but please make sure to take care of yourself and check on others. Here are a few simple ways for a little self-care throughout the year:

• Schedule self-care. Taking some time each day for yourself (5–15 minutes) can go a long way in filling your mental-health cup with positivity.

• Don’t forget the essentials such as healthy food, water, and sleep.

These are true necessities in your life, and making smart decisions will help you in the long run.

• Be active! Movement that increases your heart rate helps to relieve stress and releases feelgood hormones to keep you at your best. While it doesn’t need to be a full workout regimen, 10 minutes of activity a day can do wonders. • Talk to a mental health professional. While we all have some bad days, please do not be afraid to reach out to a professional for help if you are ever struggling with stress, anxiety, or depression, or just need a judgmentfree zone to talk. Just like how people come to us for professional landscape advice, mental health professionals can help us learn to manage these overbearing emotions.

Let’s all remember to look after ourselves and each other, and sometimes a “just checking up on you” can mean a lot. We are a community of landscape professionals who strive to provide the best service we can, and LCA is here to help each of you achieve that goal. Please keep an eye out for the upcoming events. We are excited to see everyone in person and continue to build our community, making sure we are the standard of excellence in the landscape industry! A big thank you to each of you for your support of this organization. Stay busy and stay safe!

Respectfully,