Hurrah! Our Florida-perfect weather is off to a great start. Thoughts of biking, walks on the beach, or kayaking up a tropical canal make us smile. Our Tampa Bay community is one of the truly beautiful places on our planet.

This issue of Natural Awakenings is full of tempting morsels to excite natural health advocates of all sorts. In "Awakening the Global Heart," writer Linda Sechrist offers a timely look at ways people are coming together to affect life- and planet-loving change, locally and globally. This is an intriguing reminder that united, we can make a difference. And, the time to act is promising.

Our Healing Ways feature this month (page 30) is a welcome read. In "Natural Mood Boosters," writer Kathleen Barnes tells of Safe Alternatives to Antidepressants; welcome words for those who want, and can, go the natural, holistic route. Stepping hopefully into the future is the way to go.

On October 31 and November 1, the Bay Area celebrates the 41st Anniversary of the St.Petersburg International Folk Festival. This culturally diverse gathering offers fun, music, dancing, food, and more. See spiffs.org for more.

This month’s Natural Awakenings brims with exciting news; lots of choices we can make and actions we can take to nurture our blessed planet.

As always, open your mind and read on.