EDITOR'S NOTE
I
hope you're enjoying what you've read so far, a lot of hard work has gone into this and we are only at the beginning of our adventure. Very few people reading this will know me or know the traits that make me who I am. The image on the page next to this has a significant meaning to not just my life but everybody's life. I'm autistic, or more to the point, I have Asperger's Syndrome. My story is different, different in everyday life to everybody who I've let write in this magazine, my friends reading it and complete strangers reading whom I'll never meet.
I've never had any cheap jokes made at the fact I have Asperger's, nor would I ever expect any. In the past 12 months I've lived through three of my sporting idols die, ex-footballer Gary Speed last year, as did Motoracing duo Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli. Their stories ended in tragic ways, but different ways. Dan & Marco died doing what they loved, whilst what happened to Gary Speed was a tragic accident which nobody could foresee.
The term 'You Only Live Once' has been banded around a little too much for my liking lately, but in some circumstances it rings a whole lot of truth. Everybody out there has the power to decide how they live their life, what moments define their paths through the world, whether they're a fellow sufferer of Asperger's, whether they're disabled, physically or mentally. Mental pain can sometimes be a greater thing to overcome than physical pain, physical pain will always go away, mental pain sometimes doesn't. I'm sure most people who decided to keep reading this have been through some sort of mental pain in their life. The end of a relationship, a close friend or family member passing away or something else which shapes their future and the choices they make.
Journalism and writing is sometimes a passion of mine to take away the stress of everyday life, and I've loved working on Issue 1 with some truly talented young writers that I've encountered over the last six weeks. Today is the beginning of a journey which will hopefully last a very long time. I'm committed, my team are committed and I can safely say that we have the power that this is not how the story is going to end.
We'll be back in a month or so with Issue 2, I'll be in Australia producing and editing from the other side of the world, as I said at the top of this piece, I hope you've enjoyed what you've read, I hope you continue to enjoy what you read and I hope you stay with our journey, because we're going to bring you some top draw stuff in the near future.
Thank you. Rich x
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