Georgia Magazine - May 2013 - (Page 5)

Is that all there is? www.georgiamagazine.org (800) 544-4362, in Georgia; (770) 270-6500 GEORGIA Magazine, the largest-circulation monthly magazine in the state, is published by Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (GEMC), the trade association for Georgia’s 42 consumer-owned electric utilities. On average, more than 500,000 members welcome the magazine into their homes each month. Georgia’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable electric service to more than 73 percent of the state’s land area serving 4.5 million residents. For more information, visit www.georgiaemc.com. EDITOR Ann Orowski, CCC ManagIng EDITOR Jennifer Hewett, CCC assOcIaTE EDITOR Victoria Scharf DeCastro PRODucTIOn cOORDInaTOR Gayle Hartman assIsTanT EDITOR Kevin Braun assIsTanT EDITOR Jim Jess EDITORIal InTERn Ally Boyd cOnTRIbuTIng WRITERs Judy Woodward Bates, Jason Brooks, Jane F. Garvey, Pamela A. Keene cOnTRIbuTIng PhOTOgRaPhERs Doug DeMark, Donna Haralson, Kelly Hester, Ben Rose, Phillip Vullo Laurel George, (404) 541-0628; Laine Kirby Wood, (770) 289-5700 aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvEs naTIOnal aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvE National Country Market, (800) 626-1181 DEsIgnERs Trudie Thibodeaux, Kerstin Weis subscRIPTIOns (770) 270-6500 Juanita Austin, Kelly Bodner, David Cleveland, Jane F. Garvey, Kelly Hester, David Murphy, Julie Musselman, Jim O’Bryan, Hope Paulk, Wendy Sellers, Lewis Sheffield, Barbara Tapp, Jim Tucker, Donna Yost 2013 aDvIsORy bOaRD gEORgIa EMc OffIcERs: chaIRMan Alice Mallory, Coweta-Fayette EMC vIcE chaIRMan G. Anthony Norton, Snapping Shoals EMC sEc.-TREasuRER Randy Crenshaw, Irwin PREsIDEnT/cEO, gEMc A. Paul Wood EMC GEORGIA Magazine (USPS-473120, ISSN 10615822) is published monthly by Georgia Electric Membership Corp., P.O. Box 1707, 2100 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30085. Periodicals postage paid at Thomaston, GA, and additional mailing offices. POsTMasTER: Send changes to GEORGIA Magazine, P.O. Box 1707, Tucker, GA 30085. Printed in Georgia by Quad/Graphics. Acceptance of advertising by GEORGIA Magazine does not imply endorsement by the publisher or Georgia’s electric membership corporations of the product or services advertised. GEORGIA Magazine’s LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN, OR OMISSIONS OF, ADVERTISEMENTS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES TO THE ADVERTISER’S BUSINESS, SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF CHARGES FOR THE ADVERTISEMENT THAT WAS OMITTED OR IN WHICH THE ERROR OCCURRED. May 2013 By Paul Wood President/CEO, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation S everal decades past, while attending a 4-H conference in Chicago, I slipped over to the Palmer House with some of the adult leaders to hear Peggy Lee, one of pop music’s biggest stars in those days. Near the end of her show, Lee sang one of her biggest hits, “Is That All There Is?” She sang about each major event in her life, and after each verse, she asked, “Is that all there is?” It’s a sad song written by someone whose life seems rather empty. I’ve often thought about that song and the question she raised. I suspect it’s a question that has been asked many times by those who have suffered disappointment, failure or great loss. It’s probably been asked even by those who have enjoyed great success or recognition of some kind. It’s a human tendency to question what life is all about, particularly when one’s personal life has not fulfilled the promise he or she imagined during an earlier stage of maturity. I’ve known people with great wealth who, in a moment of total candor, expressed the view that no matter how much they accumulate, it’s never enough. You may know someone who received a high honor or other special recognition who said, “No matter how much people praise me, there’s still something missing in my life.” Or perhaps you know someone who has confessed he has never had a nurturing, longterm relationship with another, and wonders why. These are the people most likely More online at www.georgiamagazine.org to ask, “Is that all there is?” The more I’ve thought about the question, the more firm my belief that the people who ask it have forgotten a basic human trait: All of us long to be connected, to share, to feel valued, and, yes, to be appreciated by others. And when we don’t experience those feelings, that’s when we are inclined to ask, “Is life one continuing series of not completely satisfying events?” In other words, “Is that all there is?” In my view, the answer does not require personal introspection; it does require we make an overt effort to tackle the meaningful things in life and ignore the meaningless. The difficult task for many is recognizing which is which, particularly when much of what we are forced to deal with daily is the truly meaningless. Some of the experiences that have brought me the most satisfaction include working with the Wounded Warrior Project, the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy’s reading program, and the occasional trip to Honduras to help build housing for the homeless. For others, it may be participating in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, or volunteering in a thousand different ways to improve the lives of others. The “meaningful” in life is never neatly tied up and finished like the “meaningless” often is. There is always more to be done. And maybe that is why the answer to the question is: “No, that’s not all there is; there is more, much more—and don’t you forget it.” 5 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiaemc.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2013

Georgia Magazine - May 2013
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Currents
The Family that Stays Together
The 2013 Readers' Choice Awards
In-TENT-ional Camping
in-TENT-ional Extras
Now is the Future
More Earth-Friendly Technology for the Home
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot
More Snapshot Photos
Gardening Tips for May; Plant of the Month
May's Online Trivia Contest
Second Helping: "Pick, Cook, Keep"
Georgia Grown Spotlight

Georgia Magazine - May 2013