Raw: Editor’s Letter

Isn’t it almost always a beautiful thing to peel back the layers and reveal what’s going on beneath the surface? For all the shine and all the sparkle, I’m ready for a bit of grit. Vulnerability. Rawness.

Last year, I was asked to write a piece for The Grace Tales on my own slow down – about, how after years of chronic illness and running myself completely into the ground with both my career and personal life, I decided to pull the pin.  On almost all of it (except for the family part). Leaving a huge gap in my life was confronting. It almost broke me.  Who was I without all the stuff and nonsense? It’s an ongoing query that requires ongoing work. But I know now that the rebuild was not possible without first, the paring back – and the complete and utter vulnerability that ultimately revealed itself.  

So in the spirit of vulnerability, that’s what we’ve asked of The Slowdown people in this, our inaugural issue. And it’s no minor request. To show themselves like that, to share their experience, fears, joy and knowledge is no mean feat. Without boundary. I am bursting with gratitude for their generosity and openness. I am also quietly implementing a raft of tiny actions into my every day to make it all so much more beautiful. Megan Morton’s rosemary showers, Tess Robinson’s knowledge that she is exactly where she is meant to be, Alexandra Barrett’s removal of clutter, Jason Grant’s nature fixes and Jacqui Lewis’ meditation practice. It’s all there for the taking. For all of us. And it’s not going to cost a cent. 

For all that it’s worth, I hope these stories help you find your little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

x
Kate Pascoe Squires 
Editor, The Slowdown Press 

Fin.