Call No. 1072

Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 8:09:45 PM EDT

I know that these are times where we wonder what’s going to happen with us. And I keep reflecting that I have lived a good life. I have wonderful adult children, and if it is my time to go that I have no regrets. The only regret that I do have is that we have not found a cure for this. And I do hope one day that we can look back and realize how precious life is.

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Call No. 860

Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 10:04:38 AM EDT

Something that I’ve been reflecting on during this time, are the new stories that are coming out about cities all over the world that have massive amounts of pollution normally, and how that pollution has cleared up because all the factory workers are home and the factories are on pause.

And I just think about the little children, who may have never seen a blue sky before, and who are going to be looking at blue skies for the first time in their lives.

And perhaps they’re adolescent or adults even, who might be seeing them for the first time.

And maybe once this is over, the grayness and the pollution will come back, but those people are going to be forever changed by that knowledge.

And I just wonder how that might affect them down the line.

Thank you.

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Call No. 612

Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 9:43:56 PM EDT

Hi! My name is Kelsey, calling from Boulder, Colorado. So, I had an experience today in the grocery store, where it was Whole Foods. Of course. And they’ve been incredible about cleaning the checkout stands in between people, which means that the line is very, very long, and that it takes a while to get through the line and you have to be extra patient. And I think that’s what I’m calling to talk about is patience and understanding.

I feel like, especially in difficult times like these, people can become impatient and want to lash out, just to relieve some of the stress that they’re feeling. And I saw that happen today. The man behind me misheard the guy, the store clerk who was guiding people, and move ahead too soon. And the store clerk had to tell him to move back. And the guy got kind of angry. And then the store clerk said, I’m sorry, just deal with this.

We know it’s annoying. It’s just we’re trying to do our best. And I think that everybody’s trying to do their best and it’s easy to slip into a very comfortable space of being annoyed with others. Like, I’ve noticed that in myself. I’ll get irritated with others because they’re not adjusting in the same way I am, or as fast as I am.

And I just like to share a wish for people that whenever you feel that anger or frustration flare up around something Covid-related, to just take a really deep breath and put yourself in the shoes of that person. When the man behind me reacted angrily towards the store clerk and the store clerk said, sorry, that this is so annoying. I turned around and loudly proclaimed that, no, it’s not annoying and it’s necessary, and thank you and sorry that people are kind of frustrated with you for doing something that protects everyone.

And it’s hard to separate the comfort of the little irritations with people daily because it makes it seem normal. And to actually acknowledge, no, he needs to wipe down that kiosk before the next person goes there. And yes, it takes more time, but everybody will be healthier for it.

So I guess my message is just about patience and empathy. And whenever you’re feeling frustrated with something that’s taking longer than it usually would, just think about why and imagine that you are someone vulnerable who was being protected, by the extra action and that extra few seconds, which gives us time to really think instead of just bust through our days without any thought at all.

That’s it. Thank you so much for setting up this recording and I hope that this brings something or new thoughts to someone.

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