Chief Editors Note: SO Over That!
“Teenagers these days”… There is a hint (or maybe a bit more than that) of exasperation in my voice as I try unsuccessfully to block out the incessant babble of the young girls that I train with. More than a decade separates our ages, and it is clear to me that we have absolutely nothing in common to talk about. Their gossip and secrets have nothing to do with me and as far as I am concerned they are only a nuisance and a bother to my day.
Switching from one training locale to another, I drive and the girls pile in at the back. As we set off I turn up the radio hoping to drown out their chatter for some peace of mind. But something catches my ear. There is something going on and one of the girls is properly upset. I turn down the radio a bit to listen in, and after a moment venture a cautious question about some further details into the matter. What unfolds next raises a revelation that I am embarrassed to admit to.
I’ve been so caught up with my own annoyance and lofty attitude to realize that I could have helped these girls fight many moments of insecurity and frustration with things that I had also struggled with at the same age or helped show them how to be confident in themselves. For someone who preaches being open and communicating with other people this was a painful reminder that I often fall short of my own ideals.
And why is it so easy to dismiss others’ concerns as irrelevant or unimportant, when we could all benefit from some advice every now and then? How often do we as young people on the job market or in the university hear a similar tirade from our elders - ”Young people these days…” ? So why in the world do I turn around and do the same right back? From hence onward my noble aspiration will be to try and break the chain. Sure, I still won’t be a part of the general gossip most of the time, and I won’t be able to help getting irritated at times, but maybe I can avoid being dismissive and be approachable enough for someone to be able to tap my shoulder when they feel like they could use some friendly advice. And here’s some amazing advice for your holiday season reads !
In this issue we have Christmas and the holidays in our hearts - along with Drag Queens, winter darkness, bullet journaling or bujo, and of course a never-ending love of verse! To help you get in the holiday spirit Lasse explores how to banish his seasonal sadness with 180 centimeters of spruce, while Aleksi wraps up our gift giving anxieties in his short story. Eve documents the ins and outs of one of the latest mindfulness trends bullet journaling, maybe to help you counter the busy holiday season stress? When you’re looking for some poetic finesse Jenni dives into deep depths of feeling in her poem “Water Weight” and Anthony rhymes us another masterpiece of poetic verse in his “Eulogy to My Shadow”. If your poetic taste is looking for some romance for the holiday season, check out Sandra’s “In the Blue of Night We Embraced” collection. Meanwhile Danielle Blames it all on Bianca Del Rio as she ponders - To laugh or Not to Laugh?
