Winter of discontent

Now is the winter of our discontent

Made glorious summer by this sun of York;

And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

Those words, spoken as the opening lines of William Shakespeare’s Richard III, have been widely quoted to tag political and social unrest in any season, using winter as metaphor for a bleak, discouraging time; John Steinbeck even borrowed the words as a title of his novel that addressed the moral degeneration of American culture during the 1950s and 1960s. As Richard III continues his monologue, he is outraged about what appears to be outwardly positive events occurring in England. Focusing on his frailties, he consciously creates chaos and struggle to disrupt peace, prosperity and health without any looming threats to limit the pleasures of life.

Jump a little over half a millennium later and we perhaps stand again looking forward to warming away the winter of our discontent, whether it is politics, pandemic or the true winter storms seen this time of year. Remaining conscious to our surroundings will help reduce false and treacherous thoughts while falling into the role of the villain as Richard III had done. Do not descant upon your deformities; rather, enjoy the gifts and common ground that the universe presents to you. You may truly be able to see beyond the winter of discontent.

Enclosed in this issue are review articles with strong osteopathic components, a novel research article related to post-operative cardiac patients and a very interesting clinical image. I hope your 2022 continues in fine fashion! Enjoy the read.