Editor's Note

Every minute of our lives, our pulse is constantly fluctuating. Whether we are standing up or lying down, moving around or sitting still, stressed or relaxed, our heart rate is constantly changing — just like our lives. Scientists say that our heart rate adapts to our body’s need for energy throughout the day, just as we as a society adapt to the changes life throws at us.

To say the last two years have been hard is an understatement. We have lived through one of the worst pandemics forcing us into an international shutdown while facing an increasingly polarized political environment that has further divided our country. The situation has forced our society to revamp and reevaluate the way we live.

Through all of the hardships, we often find ourselves asking: What does it truly mean to be alive? While for some it might mean living every day to the fullest and striving to become an elevated version of themselves, for others it means doing what has to be done to make it through to the next day.

This year, the Curb team took the “Pulse” of Wisconsin. We dug into what drives the heart that beats and propels us forward. In this issue, we explore the passions, hardships and discoveries that shape the people of Wisconsin.

We traverse the state through stories of how both people and businesses have fought to survive these difficult years, what they have done to continue to thrive and how they strive for greatness, bettering themselves and the surrounding community. It’s only up from here.