Sometimes the best themes find you, rather than the other way around. This issue? The universe delivered “connection.”
Our January/February issue focuses on health. During our Moffly editorial brainstorm, we considered everything from gut health and sleep optimization to personalized nutrition. Yet menopause and perimenopause kept appearing—in local workshops, articles I read and even in group-text threads with my high school friends.
I reached out to writer Jill Johnson Mann, who said the topic seemed to be following her, too. She was eager to dive in. Her reporting includes insights from top women’s health doctors and a candid roundtable with friends, covering symptoms, solutions and everything in between (see page 52). Reading their conversation reminded me of my own friends’ group chat, and made me grateful to enter this stage of life when women openly share, support and laugh together.
I was also reminded of another group chat: my tennis team. Over the past few years, many of us either picked up tennis or returned after a long break. Someone shared a Hello Gloria article, “The Pure Delight of Joining a Tennis Team in Midlife,” which describes how the sport brought the writer unexpected joy and community. She highlights the physical benefits and the “accidental communities and friendships” that naturally emerge on a team.
We related immediately. Missing that camaraderie during winter, we signed up for a mahjong class as an excuse to get together—though indoor tennis has kept us from playing. Mahjong has exploded in popularity in our area. Attend a Gold Coast Mahjong Club event and you instantly feel it—the game is fun, yes, but the energy in the room is irresistible.
Connection is trending. Shared hobbies like mahjong and needlepoint (and tennis) boost your mood, reduce stress and nurture real bonds (see page 13). These benefits aren’t limited to women discussing menopause in group chats; they’re meaningful at any age.
Even creative pursuits reflect this growing desire for connection and calm. Make Modern founder Erika Allen compares stitching on a needlepoint canvas to focusing on your breath, which fits beautifully with our article on breathwork (page 23).
Inspired, I bought a needlepoint kit for a friend recovering from a medical episode and signed my tween daughter up for a Make Modern class. As for me, I’ll be taking a refresher mahjong class—and looking forward to making new connections.
We hope this issue inspires you, too. Read all about the impossibly chic Emilie Rubinfeld, New Canaan native and president of Carolina Herrera (page 62); plus, Pvolve’s new Darien studio (page 18); a Darien-based organic meal delivery program (page 28); the new Waveny Tavern by PXK (page 32); New Canaan luxury fitness space designers (page 36); and more.
