This month kept pulling me toward one word: presence.
Not the rushed, distracted version we all fall into sometimes. Real presence. The kind that slows down enough to notice people, linger in conversations, show up for family, encourage someone hurting, or simply make room for what matters most. That spirit runs all through this issue.
Our cover profile with Susan Fisher is one of the most thoughtful and quietly powerful conversations we’ve shared in a long time. Susan talks openly about faith, family, cancer, retirement, relationships, and learning how to “linger” in everyday moments instead of constantly rushing toward the next thing. There’s such wisdom in her perspective, especially in a culture that often measures life by productivity instead of presence.
What struck me most is that Susan doesn’t describe this season of life as slowing down. She describes it as paying closer attention. That feels important. Because many of us reach this stage of life and realize how easy it is to spend years managing schedules, responsibilities, careers, obligations, and endless to-do lists without fully savoring the people sitting right in front of us. Susan’s story reminds us that some of life’s richest moments happen when we finally stop hurrying through them.
This issue also carries several stories centered around relationships, resilience, and human connection in very different ways. Greg Budell introduces us to Bill Robinson, a Vietnam POW who spent an unimaginable 2,703 days in captivity and somehow emerged with gratitude, humor, humility, and perspective still intact. It’s one of those stories that recalibrates your own frustrations in the best possible way. Jeff Barganier takes us to Callaway Gardens, where beauty, restoration, hospitality, and history all seem woven together into something larger than landscaping alone. His writing always has a way of uncovering meaning beneath the surface.
We’re also sharing a feature called A Man’s Guide to Menopause: What She Needs You to Know. I think a lot of couples will appreciate the honesty and practicality of that piece. One of the realities of aging well is recognizing that every season brings new challenges, adjustments, and opportunities to love each other better. Sometimes understanding alone can change an entire relationship dynamic.
And in many ways, that’s what this issue keeps circling back to. Showing up well. Loving people well. Paying attention while we still have time.
As Susan says in her interview, “The soul rarely moves at the pace of a calendar.”
That line stayed with me. Summer has a way of speeding life up — vacations, camps, trips, grandchildren, projects, schedules, heat, and noise. But maybe this month is also a reminder to slow down enough to actually enjoy the people we’re doing life with. To linger a little longer at the dinner table. To answer the phone call. To make the visit. To take the walk. To say the encouraging thing. To dance in the kitchen if the right song comes on. Those moments often become the things we treasure most later.
As always, thank you for reading River Region BOOM! and allowing us to tell stories that celebrate aging well, living fully, and staying connected to what matters most. And if you know someone who would make a great cover profile, I’d love to hear from you at jason@riverregionboom.com.