Moving right along

Welcome to the first Worcester Living of the New Year. As I think about the contents of this issue, I canÕt shake the subliminal message that seems to come through. ItÕs really a warning as much as a message, and it goes like this: Get out of the house and get moving. Winter isnÕt for slackers. I can either stay inside and think about the added weight that crept up over the holidays or I can go outside and enjoy all that a New England winter has to offer.

ItÕs been a few years since I schussed down a mountain on a pair of alpine skis and even longer since I kicked and glided on the cross country variety. I blame my bad back. But there are a whole lot of other things I could do if only I could muster the energy. I saw a recent poll asking for peopleÕs favorite snow activity, and I got some ideas. I donÕt have to exert the kind of energy that skiing of either type requires to enjoy being outside. I could go ice skating, snowshoeing or sledding. This particular poll also gauged activities like building a snowman, making a snow angel or just plain making snowballs. Now, that, I could handle.

So there you have it, my New YearÕs resolution of a sort, and all I have to do is use this magazine as a guide. WeÕve got stories on all kinds of winter activities from ice boating (donÕt think IÕll try that) to snowmobiling (thatÕs a definite yes) to beach walking (sounds good, too). I guess all it takes is a little inspiration and a big commitment not to spend too much time experiencing winter from the inside.

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Our centerpiece story in this issue is a winner as we give you a glimpse of the women beside some of the men you see in the political arena. Notice I didnÕt say Ōthe women behind the men.Ķ While they all have accomplishments in their own right, they also happen to be co-captains of a team that not only includes their busy husbands, but also their children. Maybe theyÕre not the co-captains at all, maybe theyÕre the managers. One of my favorite parts of the story is the response we got from their husbands when we asked them to describe their wives in five words. These devoted husbands used words like loving, compassionate and caring, but I was partial to descriptors like feisty, spirited and funny. ThatÕs one of the reasons they donÕt stand in the shadows. YouÕll have to read the story to discover the rest.