Hi Friends,
Don't know if you are feeling this way or not, but several colleagues of mine, across the disciplines, have been saying how exhausted they are these days. This malaise is best typified by the following comment: "I'm not commuting and I have more hours in the day but I feel like I've been working more hours and working harder than ever before!" Between working and meetings on Zoom (a new meaning to the verb "zooming") I'm hearing many people reflect on just being bone tired. Taylor Lorenz's New York Times article this morning, "Stop Trying To Be So Productive" might have the answers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/style/productivity-coronavirus.html
As she notes, COVID 19 has "brought life largely indoors" and people feel the pressure to finally get some things done around the house, do spring cleaning, come up with the perfect family time, start a diet, get in shape, write that novel, and finally learn how to use that fancy new chef knife which has scared the devil out of you until now. It's kind of like New Year's resolutions on steroids... and feels like too much. Maggie Schuman, a product specialist, says, "I'm just trying to be more okay with just being human" and Adam Hasham notes "It's like you're underwater." As Lorenz writes, "In the midst of a global pandemic that has upended nearly every facet of modern life, people are finding it harder and harder to get things done."
None of us has ever been through a global pandemic, having our hearts bombarded with band news, fear and grief each time we look at any kind of media. In addition, here at Hospice of the Valleys, we are actively learning about and engaging with this pandemic in a personal, hands-on way, all day. As Chris Bailey says, "We're going through a lot and we all just need to take it easy." So, rest. Don't beat yourself up if yo ucan't leap tall buildings in a single bound today. Be gentle with yourself. We're trying to learn how to live in a moment in history new to all of us: a heart wrenching, difficult moment of history. Give yourself a break. And take care of yourselves,
Dr. Lynn
Creating happy memories for our children is one of my favorite Christmas traditions; but for many children around the world who face poverty and oppression this is a daunting task. In 2009 I was asked to help provide relief to the children of Burma through a Medic Training Program overseen by the Partners Relief and Development Organization whose vision is "Free, full lives for children by conflict and oppression". According to the World Health Organization, healthcare in Burma (also known as Myanmar) was ranked as the worst in the world in the year 2000. Although there have been some improvements since that time, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Myanmar still has over 241,000 people, mostly women and children, living in refugee camp conditions. Nearly half of these people remain displaced as a result of ongoing armed conflicts.
In response to this ongoing humanitarian crisis, Partners Relief and Development, a Christian Relief Agency, was asked to help provide a Medic Training Program in the Southern Shan State of Burma. Since 2009 I have traveled to Burma each November to participate in this program. I just finished my 10th trip where I was honored to participate in the training and the graduation ceremony on November 12th for the class of 2019 which included 28 Medic Students. Since the Medic program began, over 228 Medics have been trained. The program is managed by an amazing husband and wife Doctor Team from New Zealand who oversee the 8-month training program with the assistance of visiting teachers such as me.
Dr. Cochrane training Medic students in the villages of Shan State where there has historically been no access to healthcare, these medics are now providing help and hope to their people and saving lives. Although they face incredible hardships, they are some of the happiest and most thankful people I have ever met. This year, during hospital rounds a patient who came in with suspected malaria suddenly lapsed into a coma and quit breathing. The students sprang into action immediately and following the training we have given them they put their skills to the test. After inserting an IV and administering emergency medications, the patient began breathing on his own again. He went on to regain consciousness and is expected to recover.
