Author of The Painful Truth
Meet Rachel * and Lorna. They are very different women, but they have one thing in common: they both used opioids.
One morning, Rachel maneuvered her maroon Civic into a parking place at a local breakfast joint to buy opioids from her dealer. Accompanied by her two-year-old daughter and her brother, she had never felt more like a criminal. While Rachel never turned to heroin or other street drugs, she used prescription opioids for non medical reasons.
Shakespeare may be complicated, but the universal need for sleep is not. The “Chief nourisher” is, indeed, a major function of sleep. It scavenges toxins produced during the wakeful hours which are literally “the death of each day’s life.” It results in “hurt minds” or damage that may be irreparable. Sleep scavenges and disposes of the poisons that allow the system to be revitalized with a “second course” or another day.
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma were tragedies, but if there was a silver lining, it was that they brought out the best in people. They reminded us that humans can overcome partisanship and tribal differences to help one another.
For generations, many of us took pride in thinking of the United States as a melting pot. Our parents and our grandparents came from all parts of the world, and they brought with them a potpourri of languages, cultures, habits, and philosophies. We believed that everyone was welcome and had a contribution to make. After a generation or two, you couldn’t differentiate one group of Americans from any other based on their ancestral origins. That, we believed, was the way it should be.
As of this writing, Hurricane Irma is about to invade Florida. It is reported to be a Category 5 storm. Many people are evacuating, while others cannot leave their homes and must prepare to shelter in place. The region will inevitably experience catastrophic effects, and this is on the heels of the devastating Hurricane Harvey that struck Texas.
Hurricane Harvey has brought despair and heartache. The devastation will be with us for years to come. Whether we are in Texas or in other parts of the world, we feel the intense pain that the storm has brought.
With continual wars and conflict throughout the world, it sometimes is hard to imagine that good can percolate through colossal adversity. But it does. There always seem to be people who are extending their hands or opening their arms to those who need help. Fortunately, there are many people among us who are wired to do so.