And I Won't Back Down

Two years later, I went back to When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.  (My March reads have definitely put a lockdown quarantine into perspective.)

The foreword by Abraham Verghese sent me on a "Where have I read him before search?" to my Nashville life of nine years ago and from there, a pause, and a deep breath, and I began.

I read Kalanithi's story in just a few sittings and as I sit to type, searching for words, I fail.

I do have the sense that Paul lived.  He pushed.  He pursued joy and was not afraid of suffering.  A reader can't help but look inward and ask, am I doing the thing I am called to do, that I love?  Am I living my minutes?  Also readers, if you are like me, you will cry.  If somehow you make it to the epilogue with dry eye, I can't imagine you could remain unaffected by the words of his wife, Lucy.

Although limited with our movements around the world, there are still avenues to push, to learn, to love with open heart, not backing down from suffering.

Don't Hold the Applause

For the last ten days, at 21:00, we are one as a country, leaving our apartments and houses to land on balconies and yards.  There are no differences in income, in health, in language, in culture, or in age as we applaud together in service of healthcare workers and support staff in the frontlines against COVID-19.

The first night, I was surprised to hear a noise outside and even more so, to discover it was a sound of celebration rather than of anger.  The second night I was perplexed, so I googled "applause at 21:00 Argentina".*  The third night, I stood on my balcony with joy as such a small action amplified throughout community brought tears to my eyes.

Last night, a neighbor added an anthem before the applause and over the last week, there have been more lights and whistles, with hoots and hollers (as we would say in my other home).  For just a few minutes, we are one:  in celebration and in sadness, in isolation and in community, in body and in spirit.

* Thanks Google!

88, Ra

There's plenty of time to read in a quarantine.  It is difficult to select a book.  I oscillated between genres, authors, and languages like my metronome, finally breaking the rhythm using the library's list of newly available titles.  I chose the first book that was available and on my reading list.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore accompanied me from requested social distancing and quarantine to the mandatory lockdown which arrived Friday morning.  In this read, Moore takes us through the elation and empowerment of new jobs though the crescendo of suffering these women endured at the hands of radium.  Moore uses their own words to highlight their hope and spirit in the fight against the corporations and the difficulty it was to effect change in their industry.  It was challenging for these women to find answers to their unusual ailments and then after receiving news of their fate, it was another mark of courage to launch a years' long battle for justice.

Their small stone in the pond caused ripples touching other industries and lives for years to come.  Several times in reading, I was moved to tears.  I marveled at their grace and perseverance, and I lamented that greed and power still push industries today to value ROI over their human investments.  I'd definitely recommend this title for your list.

In the face of uncertainty, I hope we too can find the strength to do the right and courageous thing.

Good luck with your reading lists and quarantines around the world.