This morning, as I drank my coffee before the morning paper, I was hypnotized by these beautiful lilacs. (Our oldest has been studying them for his school project).
We had just had oatmeal with bananas and maple syrup (of course the likes of which you can only really get in Vermont). It was warm and beautiful; peaceful.
Then I saw this image in the paper, and it hit me like the eighteen wheels of the Ryder truck.
There are people in those cars! Kids in those cars, worried parents and grandparents, friends and caregivers, and people who feel alone. In those lines there are people who may not get to bring food home. There are more people waiting who couldn’t come, but they are hungry.
What are we going to do?!!
In the last several weeks, our neighbors have been lining up for food. They wait for hours in their cars, sometimes with kids (the intensity!), sometimes reaching the head of the line only to find out there is no food remaining.
Something‘s gotta give.
Then I came across one small but very important way to help- “Plant for the People”. This is a program where you donate part of your harvest and/or you collect garden surplus to donate to a food shelf. The goal? “Put a pepper in every pot”.
We had a family meeting. And the boys were all in!
Now we have some serious work to do.
At work, one of my medical assistants once commented that I was much better at keeping my people alive than my windowsill plants.
But the stakes are higher this time. Now, these endpoints - the people and the plants- may be connected. If ever there was a time to get better it would be now.
Our futures depend on all of us doing a little better, taking big and small steps. They aggregate.
Skin cancer awareness tip- sun induced keratoses (aka “precancers“) are dry, pink or pink-brown scaly patches that can become painful and grow up to be Squamous Cell skin cancers. They tend to be more pink than the lilac color of some of our more inflammatory conditions. Squamous cell skin cancers can be deadly. If you have a spot and you suspect it’s precancer, stay away from intense sun and have it checked if it is persistent. Let’s get through this.
xo,
Dr. Laura Dr. Swae
(second photo of food linesnew/ Ryser truck by Mike Dougherty VT Digger)