Super Humans Are Coming Out of the Woodwork

I’d love to see more going forward

At the height of all the discouragement and chaos circling the globe right now, I’m seeing living proof of amazing human beings. They certainly don’t have to be amazing but they’re choosing to.

These are the people and circumstances we should be placing our energy into right now. Gratitude goes a hell of a lot further than gloom.

I’m sure there are millions of super humans out there that I can’t possibly highlight because I don’t know who they are. But pay attention. There will be some in your immediate surroundings when you least expect it. We just need to take notice.

This morning, my application for provincial emergency assistance was denied. No reason was given, the email just told me I didn’t qualify. Me, a single person living on a non-existent income now, doesn’t qualify.

Another email from my bank arrived at the exact same time. Upon first glance I thought it was just a confirmation that my landlord had accepted the rent payment I had transferred the night before.

When I opened the email I could see it was a notification that my landlord had rejected my rent transfer. There was a note attached to the rejection saying, “I think $XXX would be more appropriate, therefore I have declined your transfer.”

My landlord was asking for a lower amount of money — said no landlord EVER.

Two weeks ago, when I’d first received layoff notice I was proactive in contacting him with the news. I’d told him that I would be totally fine paying full rent for April, but may need some leniency going forward, not knowing when employment insurance would kick in. It still hasn’t.

I wasn’t looking to take advantage of the situation, after all, he’s stuck in this mess just like we all are. I have no desire to screw anyone over because none of this is anyone’s fault.

My landlord is a super human.

Last week was my final pay from my job. I had one week’s worth of hours within the pay period, which is hardly an amount that could tide anyone over until God knows when.

Our HR department assured us we would also receive two weeks worth of severance. They wanted to help employees as much as possible while we all sit in limbo, waiting for other income supports to kick in.

When I checked my deposit and bank balance on payday, the number was higher than anything I’d ever received from work. My final paycheck was large — much higher than severance at my rate of pay should be.

I have no idea how they calculated the number because my pay advice only indicates the amount as “other earnings.” I contacted several of my coworkers and they all reported the same. Their final paychecks were also huge.

My workplace is run by super humans.

We all tap into our local and national news sources to keep up to date. While some of you choose to stay glued to it, some of us have chosen to limit ourselves due to saturation. We’re protecting our emotional health.

Last night, the news anchor I’ve been watching for weeks now, was preparing to interview a medical professional. Before the interview even began, the doctor looked at the news anchor with sincerity and asked, “And how are YOU doing?”

Her eyes welled with tears. I can only assume she got emotional because no one has asked her how she’s coping. Her job is to report the news, she doesn’t have the luxury of just turning it off when she feels overwhelmed.

News reporters aren’t only appearing on our screens for 30 minutes of reporting, they’re engulfed in preparing accurate and timely news all day, every day, even in the face of crisis.

They are super humans.

I could sit and bitch about the fact that I wasn’t approved for emergency funding by my province but the truth is that there are many others more needy than I am.

I could whine about not having a job anymore but some people still have to work among this chaos. First responders, front line workers, health care professionals. These workers are paying the emotional toll of still having a job. I get to sit at home and avoid chaos.

Yes, even the government officials who have to make the tough calls about who gets what help and when. I’ve been all over Twitter yelling at whoever is behind the tweets for my provincial government, and I’ll admit that each time I fire off a complaint tweet, I feel guilty.

What if the person sitting behind that profile is a twenty-five year old kid who’s just tweeting what he’s told?

Literally everyone is raging at that account even though it’s not the government’s fault this happened. No one knows how to handle it because it’s never happened before.

These people, the ones who don’t get to “turn it off,” are super humans. Let’s remember that the next time we feel like bitching about the injustice of it all.

(And by the way, if you simply cannot see any silver linings here…Candy Crush is giving away free lives right now!)

Have you come across any super humans in the wake of this chaos?

Thanks for reading this entry in my Journal of Firsts.

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