“Months ago, I wrote to you about showing up for your friends and the people in your life. I truly believed this is one of the most impactful ways to nurture meaningful connections and valuable friendships. Fast forward a bit and we find ourselves here, in the midst of global pandemic with the responsibility of social distance. Seems almost irrelevant doesn’t it? Maybe not.
Last week the exact thing we’re all trying to prevent happened to me. I came down with all the suspicious symptoms even though I ‘did things right.’
I kept social distance, I only went out for essentials and I wore the mask we had from construction and gloves yet here I was sounding like someone who belongs in isolation surrounded by people in hazmat suits and full on scuba gear.
I will keep the symptoms/treatment portion of this to a minimum because I know you’re sick to death of reading it but I will say the two things that actually help for me have been laying on my stomach and sipping hot tea but I am only miserable not critical…
I expected the coughing, the fever and the low energy that makes you want to give up. What I didn’t expect was the flood of kindness that absolutely surrounded my family.
Friends I don’t even know well offered to run errands.
People have made meals for us. Someone I’ve never even met from my husband’s office called in Chipotle to feed my entire army of boys.
My mom made a delicious casserole for porch drop off and my neighbor deserves her own article and some type of medal for her beautiful servant’s heart.
These angels didn’t wait until I asked to step in or simply say, ‘I hope you feel better,’ they showed up in real and dynamic ways to serve my family when they knew I couldn’t.
So, here I am, still in the midst of global contagion, feeling loved and lifted by people I can’t even hug in return. This is what I was talking about, guys, this is showing up and loving the people who need to feel your support. This is what makes us human and this is what makes being human beautiful, our vulnerability.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Katie Bryant, 31, of North Caroina. Follow Katie on Instagram here and Facebook here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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