At times I feel as I did when I taught elementary school children. "Am I making any difference? Does what I say or do have any effect?
But then I receive emails from people I hardly know, and I realize that my words reflect who I am and in doing so, total strangers find me approachable.
I have had emails from my blog readers who said they were writing to me because they had no one else to talk to, and they thought I would understand. And after writing, they said they felt much better.
I would not be any more pleased if I had written a best selling novel.
To know that I come through in my writing as a person who cares for others, is the reason I write. Empathy and compassion are the two most becoming traits in my friends.
I met with a person whose book I am working on, helping her prepare it for publication, and we sat and talked for two hours or more. I learned how we are similar in many ways, although we see some parts of our culture through different lenses.
I find her to be a deeply thoughtful person who cares for others but doesn't always understand those who are in need. I smile when I think about her saying, "Why do they need ten handicapped parking spots in front of the gym? There are not that many handicapped people in there at the same time."
But I see why. Handicapped doesn't necessarily mean people who must use a wheelchair. I have a handicap placket on my window. I can't walk long distances, and if all the reserved places are taken, I leave and come another day. I don't need a wheelchair, but I cannot walk a long distance because of hip and knee problems. My respiratory disability comes under the ruling for Americans with Disabilities Act.
My physical therapist and I were in our local grocery store at the same time. I was in a mobile grocery cart. I smiled and waved and so did she. She is young, athletic and is a runner and a hiker. When she saw me a few days later at my physical therapy appointment, she chastised me. "Did I see you riding while buying groceries," she said. She is constantly telling me, "Glenda you have to keep moving."
"Yes, I always ride because the store is large and floors are hard on my feet. I am afraid I will be somewhere in the store when the peripheral neuropathy hits my feet and makes me unable to walk. I would have to sit on the floor until someone came to fetch me." I don't look like I have any problems. I almost always have a smile on my face, but the invisible illnesses we often endure have to be planned for.
Some of us who have breathing problems, either COPD or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as I do, find we don't have the stamina to walk the entire grocery store lanes, so we use the mobile carts. We might look healthy, but many of us have what is called "invisible illnesses."
Instead of being judgmental of others and assuming the worst, I wish people would assume that anyone parking in a handicap space has to use it because they have a disability of some kind whether it is visible or invisible. The driver might open her door, get out and walk, unattended into the store. But if you follow her, you will likely see her find a motorized cart which she uses to make her way around the store to shop. She might have arthritis which is extremely pain when she walks.
We are so quick to jump to conclusions before we know the facts, the truth that we can't see. In the coming months and years, many of us will suffer effects of this pandemic both mentally and physically. We hear that often this virus damages organs in the body and have a permanent affect.
I hope we will all be more sympathetic with our friends and with total strangers.
We are suffering grief, frustration, fear and anxiety because of this virus that has swept not only our country but the entire world, and the prognosis is not so good. The experts say that many more will fall ill and die in the next two years. That dire prediction weighs heavy on all of us.
I have benefited from the outpouring of love and caring of many friends and family. I have tried to reach out to others who are alone and sad, and I hope my readers know I am grateful for you and your comments on my blogs. Communication is extremely important now although we might not feel like talking on the phone or writing to a loved one. When we reach out to others, we also benefit in different ways. I like to use USPS and send notes, cards and long letters. I hope others like to do that. Over 60 percent of Americans said on a poll that they suffer desperate sadness from being alone. We can help those who are alone by simply giving them a call or sending a newsy email. What other ways can you think of that will brighten someone's day?
We will survive just as our parents and grandparents survived terrible wars that left them rationing food, and staying home, losing jobs and holding their families together under dire circumstances.
My parents lived during the Great Depression with four children to feed and clothe. They still spoke of the good times they had with Aunt Judy and Uncle Jim who came over to visit. The four of them played croquet in the yard. Simple things can be more fun than big expensive items if we are with the people we
love or enjoy.I believe we will come out of this better than we were.
I like the quote: Live your life in such a way as to be a lesson for others.
We can all do that, and in that way make a better world.
