Be the best version of yourself now and after this outbreak

Who is Kitty O’Meara? It’s a question I asked after Gee read her poem at the end of the show today.

In case you’re wondering, too, O’Meara is a former teacher and chaplain in Wisconsin who wrote this poem that’s been shared thousands of times on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram:

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

Wow! I understand why this has gone viral. With so much uncertainty, sadness, and anxiety, it’s comforting to think of all the good that can emerge out of this pandemic.

Seattle company converts factory to make masks for health workers

Already, I’ve been seeing so much kindness and compassion through our “Letters of Hope Project.” Please continue sending your cards, letters, pictures or pre-packaged snacks to nursing homes and assisted living centers where elderly residents and their caregivers would love your support. They’re already starting to receive them and they’re making a difference! Learn more about the project here.

We started our show Tuesday morning by interviewing 11-year-old Natalie Hinze of Everett. The Gateway Middle School student and her friends have been going around armed with colored chalk, leaving uplifting messages on the sidewalk in front of their neighbors’ homes.

She also wrote a letter to the editor and it was published in the Everett Herald. Here’s part of it:

“Lately, I have noticed that everybody seems hung up on the coronavirus going around. They seem disappointed that everything is canceled and postponed. The positivity can only happen in the events they are missing.

What they don’t realize is that positive things can happen … right outside their house. …”

Such wisdom for an 11 year old! Natalie and Kitty O’Meara are right.

Bill Gates estimates at least 6-10 weeks before coronavirus is quelled

We can’t lose hope and we can’t squander this opportunity as we are forced to slow down. It’s unfortunate that it takes a catastrophe to bring us together, but it would be an even bigger shame not to make better choices and be the best versions of ourselves when we eventually come out of it.

Listen to the Gee and Ursula Show weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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