She was cheerful, but as she told me how she texts her sister in California each day to check in, I could hear the strain.
Susan and I chatted this morning as she helped me check out at the grocery store. Her sister worries because as a cashier Susan has to wear a mask for hours upon hours, day after day. It takes a toll.
As we see
Arizona making national news for all the wrong reasons, a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitals put on alert because of a failure of leadership, we must be the leaders we need.
Wear a mask, maintain social distancing and stay home as much as you can.
We must do this for each other and for all our frontline workers, like Susan, who are standing up to take care of us.
This is not a time to panic, but to be vigilant and demand action from Governor Ducey.
And, as we look forward, we simply can't afford leaders who are out-of-touch and untouchable anymore.
Those who fail to protect us - blocking our health care, threatening our environment, neglecting racial injustices and
refusing to act on gun safety - don't lead from a place of understanding, compassion or life experience.
They lack empathy, they work only for self-preservation.
It's time to rewrite the story of today's America. It's time to honor our individual stories and challenges by electing those who will never forget how powerful our voices are and can be.
Each of us has a unique story, each of us can make change with that story.
