We’ve all met them: people who seem stuck in a rut. The older they get, the deeper the rut.

Habits are tough to break, especially when they’ve been honed over decades. In this issue we’re celebrating the anti-rut. “Discover” means to find something unexpectedly. Think about that for a moment; what was the last thing you discovered?

If you can’t think of anything, then you may pick up some suggestions from this issue. Why not start with hiking? Our region has terrific hiking spots for people of all ages and abilities. Sore knees? Lace up some sturdy boots and head to a flat trail along a lake or riverbed. Up for a challenge? We’ve got plenty of ledges and steep trails to explore, too. Our story on page 26 might spur you into discovering our parks and cities by foot.

Motorcycling is big with the over-50 crowd. I prefer to discover areas at a slower pace with my coaster-brake bicycle (which continues to be my all-time favorite gift from my husband). Yet I’m envious of motorcyclists who zip by, loaded with gear on a getaway trip. You’ll like our story about taking a quick trip by motorcycle to the Niagara region. If you haven’t seen the Falls since you were a kid, you’re in for a treat. The area is rich with wineries, great restaurants, boutique shops and natural beauty. It looks even better when experienced from the back of a motorcycle. Our story is on page 12.

Urban farming has taken off throughout the region. If you’re looking for a new hobby (and one that helps the environment), then consider beekeeping. We’ve got a profile of a couple who wanted to give their gardens a boost with better pollination. Find out what they discovered by reading our story on page 14.

Know this about India Pierce Lee — she’s a hugger. Her generous embrace comes with a quick warning. Then, suddenly, you’re in a hug – and in a part of her world.

For Lee, 60, her world is one with big ideas in a relatively confined area — several struggling inner-city Cleveland neighborhoods. She works with a team of corporate heavyweights, public sector groups, community organizations, foodies, bankers and almost anyone else who can inject a positive influence in places that are distressed and careworn.

She presents an interesting dichotomy — a dynamo who juggles dozens of projects and ideas at a time while being entirely present when talking one-on-one. It’s a quality that comes in handy with her work at The Cleveland Foundation and its many interests aimed at bolstering neighborhoods with high unemployment, dilapidated housing and — until recently — waning hope.

PRACTICAL PROJECTS FOR  MAXIMUM IMPACT

Like many large cities, Cleveland’s most impoverished neighborhoods are located around some of its most prominent institutions. The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University have well-deserved reputations as first-rate institutions. Yet, until just over a decade ago, their influence was underutilized in the areas closest to them.

A challenge for Lee and others she has worked with was to figure out the best way to buoy these neighborhoods and their residents. Central to this is The Cleveland Foundation, a nonprofit group that links donors with worthy projects throughout the city. The foundation uses its substantial endowment and connections to support a myriad of programs. Lee is the foundation’s Program Director for Neighborhoods, Housing, and Community Development.

“We used maps to show vacant properties and poor building conditions in the neighborhoods, and the Clinic, Case and UH were all within a 1.5 mile radius,” Lee says. “These neighborhoods basically were declining.

Refresh and Renew

Those are my goals for spring. Most of the time the reality is much different. That’s why there’s a bucket of soapy water and a mop by the back door. I’m trying to refresh, but it’s tough during Ohio’s mud season. Thanks to the dogs, I battle a constant onslaught of sloppy paw prints. The place looks like a barn.

The good news is that by early May the bucket goes back in the closet. I’ll soon turn my attention to the outdoors. The mud that bothered me in March and April fades to just another hallmark of the season, as predictable as the forsythia blooming along the side yard and the birds frantically making nests in my wreaths.

In my search for an early spring, I came upon our cover subject, the dynamic India Pierce Lee and Green City Growers. She’s one of the public faces for several vibrant community programs aimed at bolstering distressed neighborhoods. Her warm enthusiasm and the lush lettuces and microgreens growing in the sprawling greenhouse close to downtown are the perfect antidote to a chilly early spring day.

To continue the theme, our main feature story this issue (pg. 22) is about cultivating optimism. It’s a worthy goal, especially at this time of year. Full disclosure — I’m a pessimist at heart. I like the idea of optimism, and most of the time I’m able to fake it with smiles, positive thoughts, a good book and a new lipstick. But I’ve found that nature is far more powerful than anything I can nurture in that department. I picked up some good tips from our story and learned that optimism is possible even in difficult times. Please note the accompanying story about pessimism. It’s not such a bad thing after all; the world needs us.

Exercise. Diet. Medical checkups. Keeping physically fit requires a healthy balance of lifelong practices, common sense and willpower — the same holds true for financial fitness.

An average American man who is 55 today can expect to live another 25 years and women, 28 more years, according to the Social Security Administration. That means decisions about housing, lifestyle, investments, insurance and legal matters today will have long-term implications.

About one third of Boomers plan to earn an income part-time after they retire from their current job, according to an AARP survey of 5,000 workers ages 50 to 64.

Of that group that intends to continue working for pay, 44 percent want a job that’s different from their current one. The survey, released in September, indicates that 6 percent have no plans to retire, about one-fourth plan to retire before they turn 65 and another 25 percent intend to wait until they are 70 or older.

The first thing everyone should  do – whether married or not – is to decide how much money they think they will need, where they want to live and expectations for post-retirement life.

“They (need) to be sure they have in their head what it is they want for their future,” says Dee Siegferth, The Milestone Center for Retirement and Estate Planning in Akron.

People in their 50s should talk about how they want to live 15 years from now. In your 60s, think about life in 10 years and those individuals in their 70s, consider what lifestyle they desire in five years, she adds.

Among items to consider – and these can be made much easier with a financial or investment advisor – are how your current earnings can carry you far into retirement.

Siegferth believes that an equally important aspect of long-term financial planning is having both a durable power of health (to allow someone to make medical decisions for you) and a durable power of attorney for financial decisions.

The tree-lined drive into Gervasi Vineyard offers a glimpse of lovely buildings, a peak at neatly ordered vineyards and a view of a perfectly sited, spring-fed lake.

Just beyond the Gervasi Vineyard entrance is the usual jumble of suburban sprawl: housing developments, gas stations, fast food restaurants. Within the 55-acre property lies a piece of Tuscany, private, quiet and elegant. An ideal getaway works when it can transport visitors both mentally and physically. If it’s just an hour or so away — even better.

It’s easy to dismiss a vineyard in Canton. Most people associate Ohio’s thriving wine industry with vineyards that hug Lake Erie. Yet the former tree farm and its rich, glaciated soil nurtures six wine grape varieties specifically suited to Ohio’s fickle growing conditions.

Winemaker Andrew Codispoti says the intangibles make Canton an ideal home for a winery.

“Wine is not only about the product,” he says. “It’s about the whole experience with activities, family and friends. In Canton, we have our own microclimate. We can grow fantastic hybrids developed for areas such as ours. Canton is a great place to produce and sell wine.”

A TUSCAN DESIGN

Codispoti is partial to the wine-making aspect of Gervasi Vineyard; after all, it’s his job. It takes several years for vines to mature sufficiently to produce quality wine. The inaugural harvest was 2014. This past summer, Gervasi released Passione and Lascito, their first estate-grown wines. Most grapes or juice come from vineyards in Washington, California and Ohio, selected in person by Codispoti, produced into wine on site.

Since its founding in 2009 when long-time area businessman Ted Swaldo purchased the property, Gervasi Vineyard has grown even more quickly than its vines. Guided by general manager (and son) Scott Swaldo, Gervasi has evolved into a regional destination. About 75 percent of its visitors come from within an hour away.

You could say Tom Lix reinvented the whiskey business — and himself — thanks in part to a stint in the Navy and a 70s sitcom.

Fueled by endless cups of black coffee, Lix, 64, is an energetic booster for his growing Cleveland Whiskey company. He’s understandably enthusiastic about his distillery, housed in the MAGNET business on East 25th St., creating a label that’s available from New England to Georgia, to Europe and now into Japan.

With his growing business, Lix seems to be headed in one direction — forward. He’s embracing the adventure, in fact, seems to revel in it. Lix may have landed in Cleveland through an unexpected yet all-too-familiar family situation, but his business success has been deliberate and thoughtful. He saw an opportunity, created a solution and dove in.

EARLY ADVENTURES, LATER SUCCESS

Before Lix’s latest incarnation, he spent time fighting forest fires in Alaska as a teenager and went to Penn State. As a student activist he protested for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. He bounced around and kept his eyes open.

Whiskey entered his life when he joined the Navy, where he served for six years. He learned distilling basics from a chief petty officer who fashioned a still in the galley of the Navy ship Lix was assigned. He tucked the knowledge in the back of his mind.

Lix ended back in college, picking up degrees in biology and chemistry before heading to Boston University where he earned a doctorate in marketing. A born entrepreneur, Lix owned or operated software, technology and other companies, creating a host of successful enterprises that had nothing to do with bourbon making but everything to do with business acumen.

Then a family crisis intervened. His mother, MaryAnn, was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s and needed care.

If you want to travel, but don’t want the hassle that can come with it, take a bus.

Recreation and senior centers throughout the region sponsor escorted bus tours to dozens of interesting places. Museums, resorts, historic sites, adventure outings, if there’s a place you want to visit, a bus can get you there.

Community-based centers, churches and civic groups organize trips weekly. Start there, or try one of the bus companies listed.

Frequent traveler Ron Howard, 69, of Mayfield Heights is a retired engineer who can’t seem to stay home. He’s traveled the world, but you’re just as likely to find him exploring closer to home through motor coach excursions sponsored by senior centers.

He has been taking these trips since 1995 and has been on more than 10 multi-day trips and more than 50 bus day trips.

We caught up with him between his travels to learn why a bus tour is a great way to travel.

WHAT’S WITH ALL THE TRAVEL?

When I was a kid growing up in Cleveland, my family did not do vacations. We would go to Cedar Point on a Sunday, but that was about it. I felt vacation deprived.

HOW DID YOU GET HOOKED ON BUS TOURS?

I kept seeing these advertisements for these trips, so I decided to take one. One of the trips I saw advertised was for (Frank Lloyd Wright’s) Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob. It was a one-day bus trip that left out of Lakeland Community College in Kirtland.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF THE BUS TRIPS?

You don’t have to drive and you’re with other people. Generally, most of your meals are taken care of and usually they’re at good places. I find the trips are reasonably priced for what you get.

BEST ONE DAY TRIP?

JKL Tours runs historic and ethnic Cleveland tours.