The Universe of COVID’s Death and Our Invisible Sadness »Techno Codex

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?Oh, good luck! I am very happy that you are here. This week we’ll talk about meditation on invisible sadness, tips for choosing a mental health app, suggestions for a stress-free writing workshop, and donations to the community.

Our invisible universe of sorrow

Early in the morning, in an unruly park near my house, it feels like it used to be. The big dogs chase each other at full speed and there is nothing between them and the next ascent of the ice hills. We, the rugged, masked, bundled human beings, are the envy.

My little round dog comes back to me 20-30 times with the ball. He is equally and exorbitantly pleased with every successful search. This is an ordinary morning irreplaceable grace.

When we get home, the dog will start snoring at my feet. Turn on the news, even if you know what’s waiting. Like a sadness scorecard, it will be another normal day when an unusual and incomprehensible number of COVID deaths and hospitalizations will be updated on the screen.

Vaccines are coming with the new year And we are increasingly desperate to move forward, do something, and escape this endless discomfort and fear.We are anxious to return to anything normal It was to leave those terrible numbers.

But history calls on us to pause, justify lost lives and livelihoods, and understand what happened and why. Without that approval, we really lose the gratitude and lessons we need to move forward, update and make better next time.So Elie Wiesel put it:

And science shows that memory and trauma can survive in our DNA without our formal treatment or collective commemoration of these losses.

Still how Our brain Are you supposed to understand the scale of what has happened in the last year? What does 349,000 or 400,000, or ultimately 500,000 deaths, mean to us as a nation or as people? We became insensitive to the magnitude of the catastrophe. This is what happens in any war, especially in wars that have been dragged in for years and do not have one date or city as a reference.

This tragedy spread slowly and invisibly. Behind the doors of hospitals where visitors are not allowed, except for healthcare professionals who have much of the sadness of our country, without traditional witnesses.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, no one was able to walk through the New York City block without seeing the faces of the dead.there were Photos posted everywhereIn honor of about 3,000 women, men, children, firefighters, chefs, merchants, mothers, fathers, cleaners and dreamers lost in flowers and candles. The whole country felt the absence of those who died in New York City. Shanksville, PA; and Washington, DC

That ubiquitous spontaneous sorrow was the first sparkle of 9/11 Memorial & Museum. And every year since 2001, the TV network How to read the name Of all dead. It takes 3 hours to read them all.

Currently, we are killing 9/11 size daily, but the flag is not lowered. And think about this. It would take about 400 hours to read the names of more than 350,000 souls already lost in COVID aloud.And if you want to create a pandemic memorial quilt as large as 1.2 million square feet AIDS Memorial Quilt, With over 94,000 names, it occupies nearly 5 million square feet.

Imagine what the COVID quilt would look like from the sky— An endless blanket that covers the injured land. The AIDS quilt weighs about 50 tons. I couldn’t lay out everything at once, if needed.but, you are Digitally panel by one And look at these peculiar stories of another deadly virus and another time connected by the mourning community.

You can also search for someone by name to find their work in that panel, the Mosaic of Love. Like the father of my dear friend. Riva: Hal W. Bray, who died in 1995, was saddened just a few months before the AIDS drug became available. We found his name sewn under the quilt rainbow with many nouns: minister and singer, father and mentor, organist and texan. Hull Bray bequeathed his daughter the entire constellation of talent and charm. He is still alive in his daughter’s work.

We are still in the midst of this epic struggle To prevent more COVID cases and to administer the vaccine faster than the mutant virus spreads. And I don’t know how big a quilt will be needed. But by speaking the names of the lost people, we can remember why we have to make sacrifices and fight to save as many lives as we can. And it is one way to recognize individual stars in the infinite universe of sorrow. As Carl Sagan wrote, “For a small creature like us, vastness can only be endured through love.”

Sites like COVID Memorial And @FacesofCovid We collect names and stories on Twitter so you can read them and post your condolences or pay attention to this surprisingly wide range of lost humanity. please look. The simplest tweets may include the entire universe.

Ramon Bustamante People in Southern California died of COVID on December 28th. He was a beloved grocery worker and a single father with five children.

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Coping kit ⛱️

⛑️ How to navigate the “chaotic” world of mental health apps The coronavirus pandemic has increased curiosity about mental wellness apps, but it can be difficult to find.

✏️ Writing = healing. NY Writers Union A creative writing community that has been at the heart of my writing life for many years. We are currently offering a free virtual workshop that you can attend from anywhere. I’m not ready. Write directly in the workshop using the optional prompt. There is no judgment or stress. This is a comprehensive environment for beginners and veteran writers. Find NYWC Winter offerings here.

– Carl Sagan

?‍? Cooking for good If you like cooking for others, or if you need home cooking, please visit: Lasagna love, A community organization that prepares and provides lasagna etc. to those who need support.

Evidence of human kindness ❤️

Every week it reminds us that creating a generous community enhances us all.Take it from Arianna Huffington I wrote recently about Shelly Tygielski, Founder of Love pandemic, And “the extraordinary power to give and expand our circle of interest.”

See this move for more inspiration Video report from ABC-13 news (WLOS) Chance Jackson in Asheville, NC had a really tough year and was amazed at the gift of a used Subaru thanks to the generosity of Pandemic asheville of love And Prestige Subaru..Opportunity reached out to POL Asking for help as a homeless teen last summer, the organization has been leading him ever since. When he learned that the car belonged to him, Jackson told WLOS:

This story is courtesy Shelly Tygielski, Founder of Grassroots organization, Pandemic of Love This directly matches those who want to be donors or volunteers with those who seek help with their essential needs.visit A pandemic of love to give or apply for help.

Comfortable dog ?

meet Sally, Rescue puppy submitted by Ronnie That son Harry, Adopted Sally in 2019, depicted here. Ronnie was an essential quarantine companion for Harry. For health reasons, Harry had to work very hard on the COVID-19 safety protocol during these long quarantine months.

(Send photos, suggestions, or comments for your comfortable animal to [email protected])

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Write to Susanna Schrobsdorf [email protected]