Outro: Go Easy
By Niall Twohig
“Go easy.”
It was one of Da’s favorite expressions.
He’d say it a lot when my siblings and I were kids. Sometimes he’d say it when we were being too loud and mischievous. It was exclaimed from his bedroom in such moments.
But there were other moments when a softer side spoke these words.
“Go easy, Niall” or “Go easy on yourself.”
He said it in that way when he recognized something consuming me. Some thought. Some worry. Some feeling of inadequacy or self-hate. Some feeling of overwhelming anger or frustration I couldn’t put into words. I didn’t need the words. He just saw I was being consumed. And that was enough for him to speak with love and care.
To be honest, his words had little effect on me in those moments. I was locked away in a place he couldn’t reach.
But now I hear their echo, the tone of him still resonating. And it softens me. Takes out the rigidity. Makes me lighter.
Perhaps this is the way we survive the Monster, the way we break its rigid grip around us. By becoming lighter. By writing and speaking light words that allow others to be light.
My hope is that some of the words you encountered in this collection did that. If not now, then at some point down your road.
Go easy down that road.
Go easy down that road.