A key part of keeping these conversations helpful and efficient is to remove judgment. I avoid saying how I feel, what I would do, or what I think. I’m not providing my own perspective. I’m offering data and insight, so that the person can be more confident and informed in moving forward. And I do try to provide emotional support; at the end of the day, I know the person is doing their best to make a difficult decision during a scary time.
These conversations give me a chance to appreciate the different ways that people are responding to a pandemic. Unsurprisingly, everyone is experiencing high levels of insecurity, anxiety, and fear. Their personalities, resources, and habits are guiding how they handle a global crisis. Their situations and inclinations determine what part of the problem they bring to my attention.
The C-19 situation is going to continue for many more months. I expect to have multiple conversations a day about people’s feelings and worries. It’s an extension of my pre-pandemic life, helping people with non-C-19 issues. This is just another facet of life now.
While we were driving tonight, talking a little about some memories we've made recently, and enjoying the silence of not-talking, we saw a DeLorean on PCH. Fewer than 9,000 were sold in the few years of its production, and many were fraught with problems.
This one drove like the beautiful emblem it was, a personification of time travel and passion, past and present. It drove off into the future just as we did.
**
Today, I read:
-John Atkinson’s comic, Wrong Hands. I love reading a strip from the beginning. It’s a way to see the evolution of an artist’s themes and quirks. He loves puns, fonts, idioms, math, literature, sounds, letters, history, and tilting his head to see things from a new perspective. He refers often to science, religion, technology, and social media. Some of my favorite strips are about how adding or subtracting letters will change the meaning of a word.
-about Andres Guardado’s death last week, similar events that occurred contemporaneously, the protests, and the interviews and investigations related thereto.
-the inspiration for Toto’s song, Africa, and Max Siedentopf’s sound installation homage in the Namib Desert (playing the song on loop, powered by solar batteries, in a 55-million year old coastal desert in southern Africa).
Today, I wrote:
-this blog
Today, I deleted:
-another hopelessly stained blue shirt. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was a sturdy standby. And now it’s gone. Farewell, and thank you for your years of dutiful service.
**
Hit me up: if you are or know John Atkinson; if you want to be interviewed regarding Andres Guardado's death and its aftermath; if you've been to the Namib Desert; if you have a recommendation for a favorite sound installation; if you read this post and have comments. My Gmail address is my blog's name.
