Welcome to our ZEST issue, which has nothing to do with citrus fruit and everything to do with gusto, enjoyment, and delight.
The pages of this magazine are always filled with cool people doing interesting things in amazing places. I say something like this in every intro I write, so my apologies if you’ve heard this before—but my admiration is always genuine. There really are a lot of stories to tell about the Comox Valley, past and present. And there are always things to learn and celebrate.
For instance, did you know that a road on Denman Island is named after a Titanic survivor? Or that a small chunk of Strathcona Provincial Park has belonged to a local family for decades? Or that there’s an Old West-themed shooting range at the Courtenay Fish and Game Club? Or that there’s a sport that involves horses, golf balls, and traffic cones? Or that groups of people gather regularly for free-form, daytime dance sessions at local farms and beaches?
If your reply to any of these questions was, “Well, duh,” it’s because your Comox Valley is different from mine. (Not better, not worse, just different.) I didn’t know any of this stuff before we started work on the issue! This is what constantly amazes me about life around here: there are so many ways for people to have fun, live life, and connect with our home place—and each other.
We’re all going about our business at the centre of our own little Venn diagram, each immersed in our own life and the activities that we’re passionate about. The cool thing is that every time our circle intersects with someone else’s, it’s an opportunity for our version of the Valley to expand. In this issue, our youngest contributor is nine years old, and our oldest just turned a hundred—what a breadth of experience.
You know when you have a big party and invite a lot of people you know from different parts of your own life? And somehow, when they start talking, they always discover overlaps and connections? That’s how I see the CV Collective: a big, multigenerational get-together where everyone has something to share—and something to learn.
That’s what zest is all about—adding something new, however small, to your life to make it better. After reading this issue, maybe you’ll dance barefoot on the beach, record a podcast, or plan an epic hike. Or maybe you’ll learn something new that makes you feel more a part of where you live.
Welcome to summer 2023! And have fun making your own version of the Comox Valley a little more zesty.