Many of us are feeling a welter of emotions right now. Anxiety. Loneliness. Depression. And as a therapist might tell you, “All those feelings are good. Now what are you going to do with them?”
The good news in Forest Park is that caring people are still at work. In this week’s Review our Maria Maxham talks to several of these good people.
Raqueal Pullums is the social work intern at the Forest Park Public Library. While she is now working remotely, she is still connecting with people and also building a comprehensive list of social service resources for library staff. “What people are thinking and feeling are valid. And even though people are alone, I want them to know they’re not really alone.”
Carey Carlock is the CEO at Riveredge Hospital on Roosevelt. She is a wise and compassionate person. In this moment she urges people to accept feelings that may be different than their normal. “It’s normal to be anxious” in circumstances such as this, she says. “But it’s not necessary to panic.” Carlock offers the suggestion that this troubling time is made for mindfulness, for generosity, for gratitude.
That said, Carlock told Maxham that if levels of anxiety or depression become unmanageable, people should “Reach out. You may be physically isolated, but you are not alone.”
Finally, the Review turned to Rich Schauer, the Madison Street hardware and good-sense purveyor. His care for his community of staffers and customers comes through, as does his feelings of loss over his mom’s death last year. His advice? Get out of the house and catch up with your yard work. Rake leaves, plant flowers and veggies, spread grass seed on the bare spots. It’s all life affirming.
“This can be a really bad thing, or it can make our community tighter. I think we’ll be much more social in the future,” says Schauer.
