Shannon R. Brown

In February of this year I shared with you that I’m in the midst of a sort of relaunch of this space. It’s definitely a work in progress, but this time I’m not all on my own. I have enlisted the help of a dear friend to act as a sounding board, cheerleader, encourager, arse kicker when I’m being lazy and – most importantly for our purposes – post editor. She’s even agreed to be a guest poster occasionally (https://shannonrbrown.com/2023/03/15/the-beauty-of-imperfection/). I’m hopeful that she’ll have something new to share with us soon, but in the meantime I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to her. Someday she may come out of the shadows and reveal herself, or not. That’s totally and completely in her hands, and if she never does I get it – anonymity affords a little extra freedom. In the meantime, we’ll just call her The Editor.

The Editor and I have been friends for many, many years. We supported each other as we raised children, through illnesses, employment changes, relationship struggles (familial and other wise), and pandemic life. She’s always up for an adventure making her a frequent travel partner. She loves me and my people and never hesitates to come running when I call. And she’s not afraid to, kindly, tell me when I’m the one at fault – even when I don’t want to hear it.

One of the things I admire most about The Editor is her ability to cut through all the BS and get to the heart of the matter while still being kind and encouraging. She can take the most difficult circumstance and find a silver lining in it. Every. Dang. Time. She is strong, resilient and has overcome many hardships that would have sunk someone else. Each day she reminds me that no matter what’s going on, I can get up and get on with it. Push through the pain, work through the issue, climb the mountain. On the days I don’t think I can do it, she reminds me I’m capable of it. No matter how her day is going, she always has a word of encouragement. It’s amazing.

I’ve known my entire life that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. I lean toward the sarcastic side, often forget to use a filter before speaking, can be brutally honest and ask the tough questions. Then there’s my sense of humor – dry, acerbic and dark. I have yet to find a situation I couldn’t make a joke about. Not sure that’s a good thing, but it works for me and I’m now too old to change that so I’m just gonna stick with it. The Editor not only tolerates that, she is capable of the same, and I love her all the more for it.

Finally, The Editor pushes me to be my best. Her insights and edits, filled with wisdom, are invaluable in my life and this writing journey. I mean it when I say I couldn’t do this without her. Thank you Editor. You’re an incredible blessing that I don’t deserve, but man am I glad to have you. Love you, BIG!