Letter From the Editor Spring 2025

This letter was originally published by Align Magazine.

Dear Align Readers,

Place two feet on the ground, if you’re able. Put your hands on your thighs or chair. Take a minute and think about how your foundation — your chair, bed, your own two feet — connects to the floor. Think about what’s under the floor, and what’s under that. Eventually, you hit the Earth. Envision the Earth beneath you and your feet on the Earth. Recognize that you’re supported. No matter how you feel — anxious, exhausted, stressed, confused — know that you’re supported, physically and existentially.

I’ve found myself repeating this visualization and grounding exercise — from trauma-informed journalist Kate Woodsome — a little too often this year. To remind myself that I’m supported wherever I am and will be, I focus on my feet. I felt the need to practice this exercise especially when I thought of graduation and the uncertainty and fear that comes with not only change but also what’s next. I felt the desire to stop time, or at least slow it down — something I explore in my piece for this issue, “How To Stop Time.”

One of the biggest reasons I wish I could slow time down right now is this. Align. Four years of Align Magazine have offered so much more than work experience and like-minded individuals; it has provided a place to love, to belong, and to make a difference (the three basic emotional needs according to my 6th-grade teacher). Align has truly been my most fulfilling experience in college. I have so much love for what has been built; I’ve watched it grow from a 50-person publication into a nearly 300-person media organization. I will miss it, and the people here, dearly.

I’m beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this team of incredible creatives who I already know will continue to inspire and amaze me after graduation. To my current editors, thank you for making this such a special experience (and for bearing with me). To the incoming editors, you’re all going to do amazing. Kym, Stella, Mia, and Eliot, thank you for everything.

Thank you to all the Align members who put countless hours and boundless commitment into this issue, and to those who have contributed to Align in any way in its 10 years. And thank you to anyone and everyone I’ve crossed paths with in Align, I’m so happy we got to share this space together.

Align has been my evergreen for the past four years, the strongest constant. So thank you, Align.

But the time has come. Stella Ranelletti, it’s all yours now. I’m so excited to see what you do; there is no one else more capable and deserving.

Meanwhile, the following 118 pages exploring the evergreen — what retains green and thrives through every season, adapting to winter’s ice — await. Through a warm, whimsical, and natural lens, you’ll uncover the origins and meanings of timeless constants: hand-me-down clothes, bread, children’s games, our ties to Mother Earth, and more. The clock’s ticking.

Sincerely with eternal love and hope you enjoy,

Sydney Seymour