From the Editor's Desk: Conversations That Remind Us What Is True

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been having a common experience of one’s twenties: an interstate move. As I packed my bags and journeyed across states with cat in tow, I found myself thinking often of friends: both the friends I was leaving behind and the friends who would greet me in my new home. As the journey went on, conversations with those friends rooted me, taking me away from my daily worries—did I pack everything I needed? where were my keys (again)?—and my bigger worries—what would change about my daily experience? what would life be like in my new town? Conversations with my friends were an anchor, reminding me of who I was and why I was making this big decision.

I thought about those conversations as I looked over the articles we’re publishing this week. Our contributors have created a thoughtful conversation with both the mind and heart in play, instead of reinforcing what the world is telling us we should be worried about this week (or any week). These pieces allow all of us to consider what we know to be true in our lives.

We start this conversation by considering how to let go of the pursuit of perfection in our ever-optimizing culture. Later this week, we’ll enter into the story of a mother who learned to listen to her instincts, wander through Nashville with a local, and get a glimpse of the life of an expert floral designer.

In particular, we’re starting a new conversation at Verily: a column called Consider This, a series of articles spanning three days that is meant to facilitate deeper understanding about our lives as women. Shannon Evans and Cecelia Taylor each reflect on the meaning of physical touch in their lives as a married woman and a single woman. On the third day, they respond to whatever was significant, startling, and inspiring about the other’s experience. Our hope is that this column cuts through biases we hold about each others’ experiences, that it facilitates more curiosity, and cultivates greater connection in our shared experiences as women.

We’re so glad to be having all of these conversations with you. Please join us by telling us what you’re thinking about.