Dear reader,

Oscar Wilde wrote, in his book The Picture of Dorian Gray, that “Every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character.” Within our current situation, life as we once knew it has effectively been put on pause, and perhaps with it, our sense of place and purpose in the world. While each daily action or inaction may feel like a repetition of the mundane, we are reminded through the words of Oscar Wilde, that we are not without effect or influence and that every small occurrence shapes our own growth or regression.

Time may feel as though it is standing still and yet spring is upon us, serving as a visible reminder of the constant state of change that we are in as our lives move forward to the rhythm of nature and time. Each day, we determine what that looks like, in the smallest or largest of ways, by how we handle the difficulties we face and, in turn, how we impact the world around us. We are in a unique period of metamorphosis.

A new dawn will be coming. At some point, we will pick up from where we left off, as best as we are able, and we will resume many of the activities we engage in from before. The world will start over again.

But when it does, will we be more sensitized to each other because of what we’ve experienced together and apart? Will we see our humanity in a different light? Will we treasure and cherish that which we still have before us? The answers to these questions are individually determined but the manifestation of their responses will shape whether we remain within our cocoons or choose to rise above the struggle of transformation and fly.

Patrick Wood

Publisher