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I feel like I want to do a safety check-up on all of you. Are you alright? Taking care of yourselves? Exerting your voice and point of view? Over exerting yourself? Feeling like there’s too much to do? I hear you. (I wish I could see you.)

You know we have been living in emotionally draining, painful, and difficult times for years, now. The digitization and virtualization of our lives have pushed each of us into our own silo, where sometimes we have had no physical interaction with others for days on end. This was even before quarantine. Quarantine or social distancing have only magnified our sense of being alone. (If I had one wish for this blog and podcast, it would be to make you feel less alone.)

I can tell you that in the years between ExhibitA and ExhibitB graduated from high school, the reliance on cell phones took away a certain openness to meeting people in real life. This statement is not about them; it’s about how quickly life has changed in the last decade. It’s only gotten harder since 2012. ExhibitC’s grown-up life had just begun a year before the world shut down. I am sympathetic to the feeling of treading water, which is a bit like what is happening to her and her peers now.

So let me gently remind you that it was only two and a half years ago that we observed with horror the murders at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A school shooting is an unspeakable tragedy; as we know, schools are where people go to feel safe; to be embraced by their routines, their friends, their teachers. A place where they are assured of getting fed at least one meal a day. The trauma of the Parkland murders exists in a trough of other traumas and tragedies: with the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders, and Virginia Tech murders, the shootings at Columbine High School, and so many others. There is no way to completely “get over” these calamities. Even if we weren’t there, we are all part of the collateral damage.

Host Lisa Birnbach and Jeff Vespa, director, VOICES OF PARKLAND

My guest today, Jeff Vespa, is a well-known portrait photographer, whose documentary, “Voices of Parkland” shows no violence, but allows survivors of the school shooting to express what they did and how they felt. Jeff’s film will be one of the pieces of evidence about the hardship of the decade of the 2010s.

The 5 Things that made my life better this week:

1. The press. Most people who enter the field of journalism want to expose the truth. They want to see how the sausage is made, or how the war is being waged, or how the laws were passed. As you see the individuals and teams of reporters outside the White House, on the sidelines of protests, and in war zones, you must appreciate that their jobs are difficult, sometimes dangerous, and certainly not well paid compared to other professions. When I see the police shooting and arresting reporters on live tv, I sink. What is happening when they are not on camera? Without reporters and photographers, we would be ignorant. Without them, the powerful would be ever more so. They keep a form of honest pressure on the world they cover. They help protect this democracy.

2. Emotional support. Whether you rely on a support animal, a psychiatrist, a therapy app, or keeping a diary, we all need emotional support. Period, full stop. We probably need it more these days than ever before. I wonder whether the therapists are getting enough support themselves, incidentally. There is no shame in seeking help; no stigma in seeing a counselor, certainly not in my extended universe. If you’ve never done it before, it can feel wobbly at first, and I salute you for making the effort.

3. Alan Arkin. Yes, the actor. He makes me laugh whenever I see his picture. Is it the imprint he left on me from “The Russians are Coming The Russians are Coming”? “The In-Laws”? “Little Miss Sunshine”? “The Komiskey Method”? It might be. A couple of weeks ago, I found this video on Facebook, courtesy of the actor Miles Chapin. It made my day sunnier.

4. Farm to People. I’m a late comer to this farm to table delivery service, but I couldn’t be more excited about it. It’s a wonder, honestly. Their products are so good and so local! You can subscribe to a weekly produce delivery, or a one and done sort of box – on automatic – wonderful vegetables and fruits, meats and poultry, they sell cheese and milk, and bakery items… but reliable, never a mistake (so far) and if you don’t want to go grocery shopping – I know a lot of people do not – this is the answer.

When I told Farm to People i would be mentioning them, they generously made us this offer: $10 off your first order - Use code: LISABIRNBACH

Thank you !

5. Learning about being Black. What is happening in America is an upheaval that is long overdue. I feel like I’ve been hiding behind a cloud that has masked what has gone on in this country. My white privilege is to think, study, and really pay attention.