Neighbor Tuesdays

Hi everyone,

I’m scheduling to send this out on the most random of days at the most random of times: 2:14pm on a Tuesday. The randomness was on purpose. I talk a lot about how to be a Good Samaritan and love our neighbors in both word and deed. Usually, those deeds are something big like tackling global vaccine inequity or poverty or hunger. I will still talk about those things, for sure, because I’m an epidemiologist and see the world as my neighbor.

But, what does it mean to be a good neighbor on any given random Tuesday at 2:14pm when you are working, rocking a baby, reaching for a cup of coffee (ahem, that’s me), figuring out what to do for supper, folding laundry…you know, the random life stuff that seems to keep going. Most of us can’t leave our every-day-life and solve global hunger, although we’d like to. A movement of being good neighbors is made up of a lot of people doing those big things, yes.

And, also some of those people doing little things too. Like on a Tuesday.

So, I’m going to write about some of those little things of how we can love our neighbors on any given day. These stories will include educational stuff like how do we think like a neighbor, how do we give like a neighbor, what do we need to know about history to be a better neighbor. It will be about inequities, poverty, and hunger and will be through the epidemiologic population-lens. Because epidemiology is life. Like football (Ted Lasso, anyone?).

So, join me on Tuesdays at 2:14 for the most randomly wonderful ways of loving our neighbors. I’ll also tell you a little about what I’m doing those days.

What am I doing on this random Tuesday? Gearing up for my kids starting school tomorrow. The oldest goes to high school and I’m in 10000% denial about it. We played Phase 10 and ate ice cream last night waaayyy past our bedtimes. And, I loved every bit of it. We’ve also had ‘yes-days’ with both kids. Do you have those too? We let the kids choose what to do all day (within limits because $$$) including what meals we eat. My youngest wanted ultimate pancakes which meant throwing everything unhealthy on top of it. Please see Exhibit A:

I’m also tending the garden which is overly abundant in joy and tomatoes and flowers. Please see Exhibit B.

We’re loving long nights outside noticing lightning bugs and making sure Charlie (our dog) doesn’t run off (which he loves to do). These are the days, for sure!

And, I’m loving on that golden retriever, Charlie. Or perhaps it’s the other way around. He’s the goodest dog ever.

Happy Neighbor-Tuesday, friends!

Emily