Europeans Thank Healthcare Professionals Amidst COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

“In a gesture of gratitude for doctors, nurses and other medical workers who work in Spain’s national health system, people went to their balconies all over the country at 10 p.m. local time to applaud in unison.”

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/816309232/global-deaths-from-coronavirus-surpass-6-000

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Folks in America would ~NEVER~ do anything even remotely like that.

And, that’s quite sad, indeed, given that gratitude – which is among, if not THE most “Christian” of all human expressions – isn’t practiced on a broad collective level by an ostensibly “Christian” nation.

Perhaps the nation’s churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other houses of worship should reconsider the merit their work has, or has accomplished, given as much.

And “yes,” regardless of one’s personal, or religious opinion of the Christ’s teachings, or claims of divinity, most faith traditions – especially the closely-related faith practices of Islam, Judaism, and Christendom (ecumenism), including those of Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc. – celebrate the principles, teachings, and/or respect the purpose, reason, and cause to, and for which, his self-stated initiative was devoted – acceptance, love, and respect of everyone, and the selfsame expression of that love, and demonstration of acceptance and respect, which inherently includes forgiveness, by and through selfless actions for others’ benefit, without regard for any other factor.

While I have seen, and experienced some “messages of gratitude for these and other essential workers” personally, mine are anecdotal, while the observation and citation referenced above, is not.

My greater point is not individualism, but collectivism — a unified expression of gratitude on a national basis, as in “they were all in one accord.”

And, might I add, simultaneous.

The closest thing we have in that regard is Thanksgiving, or Independence Day, both which are both national holidays, though one has religious overtones, while the other does not.

See also:

BY LORI HINNANT
Friday, 20 March 2020

PARIS (AP) — At a time of isolation, people in many European cities hit hard by the new coronavirus are taking at least a minute each night to come together in gratitude.

They stand at open windows or on balconies in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Athens and Amsterdam, singing, cheering and applauding even though they know their intended audience is too busy to listen.

The adulation is for the doctors, nurses and other health care workers putting themselves at risk on the front lines of the pandemic that is forcing most residents to stay home. A 52-year-old nurse on Thursday became the first medical professional in Spain to die of COVID-19.

In Italy, where the number of virus-related deaths surpassed those in China, 2,900 health care providers have been infected, or 10% of the country’s total. Italian broadcasters regularly feature exhausted doctors and nurses begging people to stay home and

Feeling Stuffed on Thanksgiving

iPhone 6 screenshot showing maximum memory capacity (128GB) reached, and proportions of memory used by category

Not to worry… my iPhone’s got you beat.

It’s more stuffed than you are.

Or, more stuffed than your Thanksgiving turkey.

Or your turducken.

Seriously.

“Turducken,” is a word-blend of turkey, duck, and chicken, which is a de-boned dish of the three fowl combined, which is then cooked.

And it’s just barely Thanksgiving morning!

But that’s GigaBytes, and you’re human bites – it’s not an “apples-to-apples” comparison.

And, that’s okay, because we often compare disparate items. You know, like oranges to truck stops, or oxygen concentration ratios to seat cushions.

Anyway… the human stomach’s average capacity is about 1.5 – 2 Liters.

Maximum capacity is 3 – 4 Liters.

Put in perspective, the upper end of the maximum capacity of the human stomach is the equivalent volume of TWO 2 Liter soda bottles.

The low end of the average capacity of the human stomach is about 75% of one 2 Liter soda bottle – 1.5 Liters.

In fact, the human stomach – which essentially is a muscle sac, and when empty, is about the size of your fist – can expand to hold up to 4 Liters of food. That’s more than 50 times its empty size.

Of course, some folks’ stomachs are bigger.

Seriously.

Bigger body = bigger stomach.

And you’ve certainly heard the age-old adage “big feet, big… need big shoes.”

But, even though you, and others may be quite hungry – famished, even – this Thanksgiving, you probably won’t quite be eating like wolves… even though you may wolf your food down.

You see, after a successful hunt, a wolf pack

Thank You

Moments ago, I briefly perused various statistics for my blog, and quickly noted a few other things, including subscribers (aka “followers”), and comments.

While I may not be the “best” blogger, I try and stay at it, at least somewhat regularly, and that means

What Else Do You Need?

“… a few kind words, and a prayer.”

Those words have stayed with me for many years after the first time I ever heard them uttered as a young adult. A man, unknown to me, had said that in response to a question asked of him by a clerk, which was, “What else do you need?”

While I realize the gracious humor in them, they definitely convey a message. And there is always truth in humor, regardless of what topic it covers, which is why people often “jokingly” say things. It conveys truth.

As the years progressed, I have adopted that phrase as my own, and when asked by anyone if I need anything else, I often smile and say, “Yes… a few kind words and a prayer.”

Sometimes, in response, I’ve seen baffled looks, and yet at others, heard a

Thank you!

Here’s a quick shout-out to all of you who’re reading this: