January Editors' Letter: Turn and Face the Strange

Written by: Liv Garcia and Leah Geisler, Co-Editors-in-Chief

(AKA How To Embrace Change From Two People Who Struggle With It)

Welcome back fellow Grapplers,

2022 is here, and it’s bringing up a lot for us, anyone else? It’s hard not to have flashbacks to the past few years with rising cases and online learning. We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to engage with you all in person, but we acknowledge that we may be creating community virtually for a while still! Nothing is certain, and in the spirit of that uncertainty, let’s start with a story from Leah:

A year ago today, I was beginning classes as a second-year dramaturg. Since everything was virtual, I had made the decision to move to Salt Lake City for the entire year, a privilege I still count my blessings for daily. Just as I stepped into my new apartment, my new home, thinking I had it all figured out, I tested positive for COVID. I was lucky, only getting the mildest of symptoms and having a space of my own to quarantine. Yet even in these circumstances, I felt anxiety make its way into my mind at every turn from the uncertainty of what was to come. Perhaps you felt that way a year ago, perhaps you feel that way now, wondering how we can continue to grapple with what happens in our world and in ourselves when the ground beneath us is constantly shifting.

When we encounter beginnings, like with a brand new year, there’s often the pull to cling to what we know. Trust us, we know how comfortable familiarity can be (fun fact: when Liv was like three or four their preschool teacher told their mom and dad that they were a great student but that they “struggled with changes in routine,” and boy oh boy were those teachers right!), yet as we go into this new quarter, this new year, and this ever-evolving time, we are faced with a choice to embrace this change or stay where we are. At The Grappler, we intend to find new ways to embrace change together, with trembling hands, moving one foot forward at a time. Change is the only certainty. Let that be what we hold closest in the coming months.

Here are some recommendations for embracing change this quarter:

Reach out to those you trust. You’re not in this alone! When we can face new circumstances together, we have a better chance of growth.
Be gentle with yourself. You, like all of us, have so many moving parts going on in your life, so many struggles that are often unseen. By recognizing the hard work we have done and allowing ourselves to be still, we can feel confident that we are doing our best.
Start with something small. Where can you practice embracing change in a small way? Maybe exploring a new hobby, walk to work, or music genre can be your building blocks.
Consider times in your life where you were thankful for change. Perhaps you have always enjoyed changes in your life, but perhaps change has become more difficult to embrace in the recent months. When has a hard change driven you towards something good?