Weekend self-care open thread: Breathe
This week has been hell.
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, gutted Miranda rights, and made concealed-carry laws obsolete. Five of those justices were appointed by presidents who didn't win the popular vote. We are all angry, embittered, and frightened.
But I'm not going to talk about that this weekend. I'm going to relate to you a story.
As you know, my time as a contact tracer is coming to an end. And I'm glad of it. But I and one of my interviewers had one last chance to do a good deed.
When you answer all the questions put to you by a tracer, the county will send you a $20 gift card. For some people it's a lifeline.
I was sent the case of a gentleman who had been unable to claim his card. It's a virtual card, and he was having difficulties. I assigned my best interviewer to give him a call and see if she could walk him through it. He was very grateful, and tried to do what she instructed. But no luck.
She asked me if he could be mailed a physical card. She wanted to make sure he got his reward before we all leave on June 30. I had her email me with all the information, and forwarded it to the relevant parties.
On Friday, I received an email informing me that they would cancel the virtual card and mail him a physical card to the address provided. I told my interviewer to give him a call to let him know.
She called him. He thanked her. He blessed her. He may have choked up.
Kindness.
I will be honest: when I first was asked to contact this gentleman, I was none-too-well pleased. This seemed like something they should be doing. We were in the middle of a surge, drowning in cases. I may have written a less-than-pleasant response. Then I realized that he needed help, and it was our job to provide that help. It's what we've been doing for two years.
These little acts of kindness, even when you don't feel kind, are the glue which holds together the Earth. Without them, we'd be lost.
I know the news is awful. But I firmly believe that kindness is far more prevalent than animus. I see it every day. It's not trumpeted by the media, because if it bleeds it leads. And that mindset has led to a degradation of our culture.
A reclamation of kindness is one of the things which will save us. That, as a former president said, we are keepers of our brothers and sisters. Or, to paraphrase the poet: No one is an island, entire of itself.
The word jihad has negative connotations, for obvious reasons. But the external, warlike jihad is the lesser one. It's the internal one, where you struggle against your worst self, that is the real jihad. Too few people take on this struggle, for valid reasons. It's hard. It's painful. It reveals you to you. But it's the only way we evolve as human beings.
This weekend, breathe. Take in the beauty which surrounds you. Connect with those you love. The fight will be there Monday.