Author
Marion Wilkens, Alpha1 Germany eV, as published in Alpha1 Journal 2/2018.
Dear readers, Alphas and family members,
Another exciting year is drawing to a close. Read about everything we've been up to and accomplished. Feel free to check our calendar to see when an event is taking place near you. Join us and get involved! If you can't attend in person, we have summaries of our events available, such as this year's Children's and Youth Day in Gera (see page 10ff).
It was also an exciting year on a personal level – we used the year to settle in in Hesse. What's still missing there is a new sports group, because I'm currently spending far too much time at the computer. Not entirely selflessly, we quickly came up with the motto for 2019 at the last board meeting: Get off the couch – get out there and live!
This motto applies to all of us, I'm sure of it. Even those who already do a lot of sports, because "getting out into life" also means being sociable and getting around – or helping others and getting involved in social causes. Get off the sofa, maybe to go singing (see the article on page 38). Get off the sofa to go hiking (see the article on page 31ff). Get off the sofa to climb Kilimanjaro (see the article on page 34). Get off the sofa to do whatever you feel like, even if it's just to get a piece of chocolate (unfortunately, we don't have an article about that).
This year, we've frequently been asked in our consultations whether life as an Alpha (especially as a ZZ) is worth living. My answer is always: "Go for it – absolutely – whether you're the person affected, a carrier, or a family member." From our perspective, there's also nothing that speaks against having a baby, especially regarding your family planning. Life is always worth living if we make it so.
Have fun and enjoy all the wonderful things! We hope you find something useful in the journal's contents and that it helps you cope with everyday life. And I believe it's already a success if the prospect of the diverse articles motivates you to get off the sofa and fetch the journal from the mailbox…
Join us in making 2019 an active and wonderful year.
