If you’ve never been exposed to Daoism (commonly known as Taoism), now may be the time to intentionally engage with this ancient philosophy. The way that Lao Tzu’s teachings serve as an antidote to today’s political landscape feels not only prophetic but encouraging. To realize that the same dark woes and authoritarian shenanigans were happening thousands of years ago offers a unique type of comfort. 

There’s a certain feeling you get when you cross over the Graham County line. For most “outsiders,” whether it be nearby East Tennessee or origin points from any incoming direction, it’s a sense of genuine curiosity and wonder, where you don’t know what to expect around the next curve. And that’s half the fun, you dig? 

The absurdity of life, eh?   

I’m just sitting here right now at the local laundromat in West Waynesville. Simply observing and reflecting on gratitude, for nothing and everything, and everything in-between. Families sit quietly around me awaiting the wash cycle to end. It’s Sunday morning. Back to work by this time tomorrow. Spend your free time cleaning your clothes.   

In “Untangling You” (Major Street Publishing, 2022, 208 pages), Dr. Kerry Howells explores the role of gratitude in life and the oftentimes diminished importance of it. But it’s more than just a book about how to be more grateful.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been blessed by the extraordinary leadership of Cassius Cash, the second-longest serving superintendent of our park. After 34 years of federal service, Cash retired at the end of December. He is owed a deep debt of gratitude for his 10 years as Superintendent in the Smokies. 

My work centers on creating spaces within and spaces without that nurture healing, compassion and personal transformation. Through a blend of spiritual guidance and conscious design, I support my clients’ journey to peace and clarity in their environment and within themselves. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I thought it might be nice to look at how we embody gratitude. What are the energetic components of gratitude and how does it play out in our reality?

In the midst of the most important and crucial presidential election in my 39 years of existence in this country and, perhaps, also that of my now elderly parents and long-gone grandparents, I decided to order a New York Strip Steak, medium with sautéed onions. 

To the Editor:

The Haywood Gleaners wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Mountain Research Station for their recent invitation to glean two of their beautiful fields, one of tomatoes and the other bell peppers.

Hello from Section 117 at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. I’m here on assignment covering the “Concert for Carolina,” a flood relief fundraiser put together by country megastars and Western North Carolina natives Eric Church and Luke Combs. Some 82,000 folks filled the outdoor venue, while around $25 million was garnered during the performance. 

No book review today. Instead, some words about the importance of words — yours.

If you’re reading these words and live in Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, or parts of Georgia and South Carolina, then you survived the Great Flood of 2024.