April 5th. “It’s good to be alive.”
Think about that saying. It takes on a new meaning these days, don’t you think? Family, friends and/or celebrities are contracting the Corona Virus. I actually find myself wondering if this could be my last day where I can easily fill my lungs with fresh air and let a soft song wash over me on a spring day, free of fever, cough or body aches.
I consciously try not to spend time amplifying this concern, while also recognizing that more than any time in our lives, our neighbors and friends may be suffering, anxiety may be sky high and tempers may be short. A little compassion and empathy can go a long way right now. So let’s talk about the things we can change for the better. Opportunities are showing up all around us to choose new paths… productive paths… healing paths… soulful paths.
I’m grateful to say that yesterday my path was soulful. As a caregiver in the Soulful Caregivers Program, I held two tele-consults with medical marijuana patients, completed the necessary dispensary trips and dropped off their medicine. Prior to this, I spent some nights tossing and turning as I thought about venturing out in public and delivering medicine.
But I made the conscious choice to make these trips, and I’m glad I did. One patient gave me a virtual hug and called me a hero. While my small actions were nothing compared to “front-line” workers dealing with this crisis, it was something I COULD do, and it made a difference in relieving these patients’ pain.
This is a time of making new choices.
In PA, our Governor has chosen to deem the PA Medical Marijuana program an essential service.
Several dispensaries have chosen to remain open and provide special accommodations to serve patients, with drive through options or parking lot drop-offs for pre-orders. A new level of transparency is being provided into dispensary Standard Operating Procedures (see the video on this page outlining changes for COVID-19).
Grower-processors have chosen to continue producing medicine to help patients across the state.
In our home state of PA, across our country and around most of our planet, people are choosing to help stop the spread of the virus by staying home, keeping physical distance, innovating connectedness with technology and re-inventing how they live day by day.
Soulful Cannabis has chosen to postpone our March 28 event, “Cannabis 101.” Fortunately, one of our sponsors, Restore IWC, has chosen to redirect their sponsorship dollars into supporting our Soulful Caregivers program.
We offer new ways to navigate the medical marijuana industry, getting people to reconsider how they relate and think about cannabis, consider the language they use to talk about cannabis, choose volunteer opportunities to serve cannabis patients and build businesses that demonstrate compassion and transparency, and build equity for those who were previously excluded.
These are all choices people have. Let’s choose to be the change we want to see in the world, as great spiritual leaders have told us. Find some soulful action, however small, that makes a difference in yours and others life and choose to follow it through.
I’m Soulful Steve. I’m a writer, IT professional, and daily user of cannabis for relief and wellness. Soulful Cannabis is where I share knowledge, product info, and occasional tall tales with those of you out there considered cannabis curious! Now that I’m getting older, I’m leaning into CBD products to keep my quality of life and take the edge off daily stress. Come explore the amazing cannabis plant with me!
