From the editor…
Facing Challenges
Sometimes life throws challenges at us. These can be work-, health- or family-related, short-term or long-term, and can feel large or small. But if we can stay calm and breathe through them, we can often learn from them or allow our lives to follow a different path.
Challenges can bring out the best in us, in those around us and in our communities. I am very sad to share that Sarah, who was due to join the JUNO team over the summer, is facing an extremely difficult time in her family life that has meant she can no longer take up her role with us. We are all thinking of her and wishing her well. Helen, our former sub-editor, has stepped back into the role at very little notice, even though she was hoping to retire. I would like to thank her for her unrelenting support – this issue would not be here without her!
It can be hard when we realise we have to let go. Benaifer has made the difficult decision to pass the Reflections of a Homeopath column on to another practitioner. I’m sure that anyone who read Benaifer’s column in the Late Summer issue will not be surprised, considering the challenges that she has taken on in her new job, coupled with a commute to London. I would like to thank her for everything she has contributed to JUNO over the years. I have learnt a lot from reading her words.
Many of the features in this issue of JUNO touch on this theme of learning from challenges or letting go. Meg Douglass-Ellis relates how tuning in to her hypnobirthing toolkit helped her stay calm, take control of and eventually learn from what was a very difficult birthing situation. Priya Mahtani helps us try to stay present through demanding times with our teens and learn and develop with them, and Kate Codrington encourages us to accept perimenopause as a time for growth and development rather than something negative.
Being an eternal optimist, I relate to these perspectives. I’m not always calm, but I endeavour to breathe through difficulties and see the benefits in challenging times. Autumn is a time for change in nature, a time when the world around us encourages us to slow down and prepare for winter reflection. I hope that you can emerge from any challenges you face this autumn with hope and optimism.
-Editor Saffia
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