We're going to have to help one another through the chaos of this pandemic
We're all feeling the stress and strain of the pandemic sweeping the planet, the likes of which we've never seen in our lifetimes. Life as we know it has shifted quickly, everything feels shaky, and people are understandably anxious.
There are also many of us who have extra cause for concern or caution, due to advanced age, compromised health, or financial fragility. While this crisis is undeniably hard on everyone, it's extra challenging for those who are at high risk from the virus or who are unduly affected by the economic implications of it all.
If this pandemic is proving anything to us, it's that we are all in this together. All truly meaning all. And if there was ever a time to go out of our way to be there for one another, this is it.
A story on Twitter this week illustrated this idea perfectly. Rebecca Mehra shared how she was walking into the grocery store when she heard a woman's voice yell to her from a car. When Mehra walked over to the car, she found an elderly woman and her husband sitting there.
"She cracked her window open a bit more, and explained to me nearly in tears that they are afraid to go in the store," Mehra wrote. "Afraid to get sick as they are in their 80's and hear that the novel coronavirus is affecting older people disproportionately. And that they don't have family around to help them out. Through the crack in the window she handed me a $100 bill and a grocery list, and asked if I would be willing to buy her groceries."
Afraid to get sick as they are in their 80’s and hear that the novel coronavirus is affecting older people dispropo… https://t.co/DMbxc7Qbwo— Rebecca Mehra 🧀🏃🏽♀️ (@Rebecca Mehra 🧀🏃🏽♀️) 1583971393.0
"I bought the groceries and placed them in her trunk, and gave her back the change. She told me she had been sitting in the car for nearly 45 min before I had arrived, waiting to ask the right person for help."
I know it’s a time of hysteria and nerves, but offer to help anyone you can. Not everyone has people to turn to.— Rebecca Mehra 🧀🏃🏽♀️ (@Rebecca Mehra 🧀🏃🏽♀️) 1583971457.0
"I know it's a time of hysteria and nerves, but offer to help anyone you can," Mehra added. "Not everyone has people to turn to."
And there's the crux of it. Everyone is affected by this, and not everyone has people to turn to. We can either turn a blind eye to folks who need help, or step in to offer it.
The truth is that times of crisis can bring out the best or the worst in human beings. We all need to decide which it's going to be, and we need to decide now. It's not likely that things are going to get easier over the next several weeks, so now's the time for those of us who are able to reach out and let our fellow humans know we're there for them.
The first thing we can do to "love thy neighbor" is to heed the advice of medical professionals to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible. Wash hands religiously. Don't touch your face. Practice social distancing as much as possible.
But those of us who aren't as vulnerable as others can also think about proactive ways we can help. If we're young and healthy or if our family is young and healthy, can we run errands for those who aren't? If we have the means to stock up on groceries, are we able to offer assistance to those who don't? Is it possible to direct the money we'd normally spend on whatever is currently being canceled to help those who might not make ends meet this month?
These kinds of questions are vital to maintaining a sense of community, especially when we're asked to physically be apart as much as possible.
What's awesome is that people's better angels are hard at work already. For instance, I've seen beautiful ideas for helping others floating around such as:
- Turning Little Libraries in people's yards into Little Food Pantries temporarily
- Delivering flyers around the neighborhood letting people know you are available to run errands or grocery shop for those at high risk
- Hosting online fundraisers for individuals whose livelihood is being deeply impacted by widespread shutdown—performers, small retailers and restaurateurs, etc.
- Setting up neighborhood Facebook groups to keep communication flowing and offer a socially-distanced place to go for assistance
- Tipping delivery people extra
- Ordering from restaurants to support businesses impacted by coronavirus
- Offering free childcare for parents who still have to physically go to work during school closures
- Checking in with elderly and ill neighbors to make sure they are stocked with medications
No individual or family is an island, and it's increasingly clear that no country is an island in the proverbial sense, either. As the world figures out how to work together to get through this pandemic with as little collective damage as possible, we can do the same thing on a neighborhood level.
If we all take a community-minded approach to this worldwide crisis, it will all go so much smoother—and maybe we'll come out better for it on the other side.
- MS survivor Montel Williams is helping people connect and thrive ... ›
- A popular board game gets rid of competition and gives players a ... ›
- Meet the hippie-turned-doctor who helped save us from the worst ... ›
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."