Publisher’s Note

Nature is our greatest teacher

Who can deny that most people choose to live in South Florida because of the gorgeous weather and plethora of outdoor activities available year-round? The allure of natural attractions such as beautiful beaches, the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway, parks, biking and hiking trails, rivers, and lakes attracts visitors and newcomers like moths to a flame (the lack of state income taxes doesn’t hurt either).

This past year especially, we have relied on the great outdoors for our entertainment, our exercise, our fellowship, and our sanity. One of my new pandemic pastimes is pickleball. It has kept my after-hours schedule full—when typically it would have been filled with things like social gatherings, fêtes, and charity e v e n t s — a n d i t h a s r e i g n i t e d m y l o v e o f r a c q u e t s p o r t s . A s t e p s i s ter to tennis, pickleball is played on a smaller court with a paddle instead of a racket. It was actually started in the 1960s by a father who wanted his young children to be able to play tennis, and now it is the fastest- growing sport in America. It’s less taxing on your body since the court is smaller, but it’s not beneath your athletic pay grade—you still get a great workout, and it’s challenging enough to keep you coming back for more (so you don’t get pickled!). It’s not your Grandma’s game anymore. Everyone from young children to 30- and 40- year-olds, as well as older adults, is embracing the sport, and public courts and country club communities have retrofitted their tennis courts to meet the demand. Get outdoors and give it a try!

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Lots of animals also call South Florida home, and we are fortunate enough to have a top-notch wildlife sanctuary right in our backyard. Busch Wildlife Sanctuary has a twofold mission of wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education. They focus on rescuing, rehabilitating, releasing, and educating. Not your average “zoo,” the sanctuary creates a unique refuge and habitat for all kinds of animals, from the bald eagle to the Florida panther. To save even more wildlife and expand their environmental education programs, they have embarked on a capital campaign to fund the building of a new facility in Jupiter Farms, west of Interstate 95 on Indiantown Road. Learn how you can help and get an up-closeand-personal tour of the sanctuary in this issue.

Nature is our greatest teacher. It awakens the spirit; increases gratitude, inner peace, and joy; and grounds us to what’s essential and important in life. I encourage you to get out of your house and get into nature. As John Muir said: “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”

CHASIN A DREAM PHOTOGRAPHY

D o n n a L e w i s dlewis@jupitermag.com