FROM THE DESK

A classic Nags Head cottage row home, painted by Marcia Cline.

Anything is possible.

THERE WERE PERIODS OF TIME THIS PAST WINTER WHEN IT SEEMED LIKE THE RAIN WOULD NEVER END. Down it came for days – or weeks – until a brief afternoon respite with the sun even barely poking out from behind the clouds felt a bit like some magisterial revelation of a better future to come.

Until it started raining again, that is.

But the thing is that while we were slogging through these soggy periods, we actually were moving toward something grander – as evidenced by the fi rst sprouts of newly nourished seeds, and all those other tidings that are typically held up to herald spring.

Because, if you think about it, the platitudes used to describe nearly all the seasons exist for a reason – they (at least attempt to) denote change while framing any impending diff erences in the positive light of forging forward…and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

It can be important to remember, however, that the passage to some new stage – whether seasonal or otherwise – doesn’t always have to be epically grand. Those sprouts, while beautiful, are often more hardy than precious, and the appearance of sunlight after what feels like a long hiatus isn’t revolutionary magic – it’s just how the natural world works.

This same logic can be applied in other areas of our daily lives as well. While many of us have grown accustomed to spending long stretches of time at home over the course of this past year, the idea that we should be funneling all of our otherwise untapped energy toward starting (and completing) numerous projects and making exemplary progress on an array of personal goals has taken root in a lot ways – and not without a fair number of downsides.

The truth is that not every season has to be one of exponential growth, and not every step has to be a huge one. Or, to put it even more bluntly: Sometimes the dormancy between transitional stages is just, well, dormancy.

Perhaps that could be the bigger take-away as we gear ourselves toward spring this year. That new life is indeed growing – as are we – whether or not we take overtly active measures to pursue it. And that, as long as we can try to keep this perspective in mind, virtually anything is still possible.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue – and join us in welcoming the simple pleasures this new season is sure to bring!

Publisher Editor staff staff

PUBLISHERS PUBLISHERS Adam & Cathy Baldwin Adam & Cathy Baldwin EDITOR EDITOR Amelia Boldaji Amelia Boldaji ART DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR Dave Rollins Dave Rollins GRAPHIC DESIGNERS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin Dylan Bush Dylan Bush WRITERS WRITERS Cathy Baldwin Cathy Baldwin Amelia Boldaji Amelia Boldaji Steve Hanf Steve Hanf Hunter Haskett Hunter Haskett Lexi Holian Lexi Holian Catherine Kozak Catherine Kozak Hannah Lee Leidy Hannah Lee Leidy Katrina Mae Leuzinger Katrina Mae Leuzinger Amanda McDanel PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS Lori Douglas Lori Douglas Cory Godwin Cory Godwin Ryan Moser Ryan Moser Elizabeth Neal Elizabeth Neal Outer Banks History Center Outer Banks History Center Drew Wilson

SALES MANAGER Helen Furr SALES MANAGER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Helen Furr Faith Turek ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DISTRIBUTOR Faith Turek Aaron Caswell DISTRIBUTOR Aaron Caswell

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