What's saving our lives right now, asks Anne Bogel at Modern Mrs. Darcy? It's a good question, and one I've answered a couple of times in the past.
"Maybe what you need is a breakthrough day," reads a subject heading in my email inbox this morning. Doubtless, but what I've got instead here in Haiti is a strike day, a political protest day, a day to "teach from home," which sometimes seems to mean nothing but sit around waiting for students to do the work I assigned and send it to me. We've been in-person for a while now, except for a week and a bit recently due to COVID cases, so going back to online is depressing.
What's saving my life? Well, as usual, it's people. People finding ways to connect in spite of all of it. People emailing or texting, people sending a photo, people calling. Even, sometimes, using the mail; as I was writing this, a box arrived with Christmas presents from my daughter - books to read! Then I texted her to say thanks, and then she called me and I saw her much-loved face on my phone screen. ("Mom," she said bracingly, "everyone's stuck at home right now, you're not special!") These reminders, small and large, that the outside world still exists and contains people who think of me, cheer me considerably on this decidedly non-breakthrough day.
People are saving my life right now.
1 comment:
Ruth, this is beautiful and sad and funny and really resonating with me. I've never been someone with many real friends--lots of friendly acquaintances. I left home at 16, worked full-time plus to put myself through college and have always used most my leisure time for reading. I'm finding I'm perhaps slightly deepening my human connections during this pandemic, which strikes me as hilarious. But I'm grateful for it too. Very grateful to be getting to know you a bit better on Tuesday nights!
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