Monthly

I remember the first time I wrote an editor’s letter for my high school magazine. I was (and still am) nervous about sounding too serious and not making deep enough statements, not giving people enough to talk like those who wrote before me.

I am very happy to be the new editor of The Monthly and grateful for the advice I have received from previous editors. I hope to continue the legacy of exciting and reliable content, but I’m also excited to forge my own path for this office.

If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past year, it’s that living with a focus on the past is detrimental. This time in 2020, I waited patiently for the COVID-19 cases to go away, for the lockdown to be lifted, and for me to return to campus so that I could be with my friends and live my life as I planned. But as the months went by and things only got worse, I realized that keeping the hope of returning to a pre-coronavirus life made me sad and that I had to adapt to the present. .

I started to look at the world around me and appreciate the little things I took for granted before – having coffee with friends, listening to live music, being with my family and even spending time in the sun. .

And even after returning to Evanston, there hasn’t been much to look forward to in months. I was stuck inside trying to escape the cold and COVID-19 while trying to create joy in my daily routine. But with global warming and the rollout of vaccines, I feel more optimistic about the future. While I love that I can do more and take new risks (while still adhering to CDC guidelines!), I still want to continue to be grateful for the little things.

I am very excited about the stories in this issue of the monthly and I hope these stories will give you a sense of optimism as well. Hope you are trying to find little pieces of joy in the world around you.

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @janeaAwilson

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