"...Due to The Pandemic I’m more cautious about protecting myself from possible exposure from my patients and am very meticulous about wearing my PPE. And I make it a priority to be aware of my surroundings while on calls with a potential for violence or police interacting with us, not only at work, but also while I’m off duty..."

"...This past string of seven sleep deprived overnights in the hospital was a hard one. I saw some very sad Covid cases. But, I saw more "normal" cases and how they have been affected by The Pandemic...these patients weren't able to get the care they needed when they needed it, and it's now spiraled out of control... I just want this thing to leave us all alone already..."

* Photos courtesy of Dr. Lourdes Villaume.

"...Being the wife and caregiver for someone with a serious illness and the mother of a person of color has never been boring, but in this moment of a global pandemic and racial upheaval, it feels like everywhere I look danger is targeted directly at the two people I love the most... If you shout and post and tweet that "All Lives Matter," then please include the two that live with me..."

"...Many of our patients may have Covid-19, they just don't present like it... and so we would not know, and would not test as they do not present with a Covid-19 symptom profile. It's a scenario that requires us to adhere to strict PPE usage no matter what the chief complaint is... I also hope people start see the value in science and the scientific model, and lean back into it and trust in it wholeheartedly..."

Editor's note: it is with a heavy heart that I let the @by_a.thread community know that  beautiful & brave participant Lindsay Norton (@lnortonj33) passed away Friday, August 21, 2020 from cervical cancer. She is missed immensely. Deepest condolences to her husband, five year old son, mother, and all who loved her. This is a gutting reminder to love your people. And to tell them you love them. 

Life is a Gift. We're all connected by a thread.

"...If there was ever a time to be kind to one another and ourselves it’s now... "

"...I was at the protests everyday for two weeks after the murder of George Floyd. Then I began volunteering in the neighborhoods that were affected by the store closures. There are two pandemics, COVID-19 and systematic racism... I have nothing but conviction and time..."

"...I want people to know that both masks and fares are required to ride the bus. And that as Bus Operators, we are essential workers who are doing the best we can under difficult circumstances... cleanliness (disinfecting, sanitizing, washing your hands, covering your mouth or sneeze) is not just an option, its a necessity..."

"...I probably contracted this at work from an asymptomatic/presymptomatic patient who wasn’t wearing a mask. Going forward, I will insist every patient wear a mask when I’m seeing them because that is most important for preventing the spread..."

* Photo courtesy of Justin Cohenour, MD

"...I was up late the night Minneapolis police killed George Floyd. I came across the video while scrolling and immediately wished I could unsee it. It was horrifying. The next day, I was glued to the news and social media. By the following night I was down on Lake Street at the protests..."

"...Something that society might not realize is that teachers are CONSTANTLY observing. We watch kids interact with each other; we notice slight changes in behavior. This allows us to get to the bottom of what is going wrong or right in students' lives. It was really difficult for me to do that for the last 3 months of school, and I worried so much about so many of my kids..."

...They have taken their Farmer's Market bounty ordering online Fridays to then directly bring it to your door on Saturday! This is what my family received - it was as delicious as it is gorgeous. I highly recommend you put in an order for the next Saturday you are able:

https://hangfarm.company.site 

On the way to tell a story, a reminder...

"...Being a chef isn't just about being in a kitchen or behind a grill...it's about understanding and addressing the full culture of the service industry. And how that affects the people who work for and with you...we don't just need food, because we do. But we need food because it is also a language of love and hope..."

Editor's Note: In the spring of 2021 Vang will be opening Vinai, a brick and mortar restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis, honoring the past, present and future of Hmong cooking.

On the way to tell a story in Rondo...

Purnell Moralez-Barnes shares his newest tattoo...

"...I wish people knew that talking to a 9.1.1 dispatcher does not slow the process of getting help to the scene. Many people think the more questions we ask the longer it takes for first responders to get there or the quicker they hang up the quicker responders will arrive. That is a huge myth. We work as a team..."

On the way to tell a story...

Don't feel guilty. Get mad.

"...I’ve been working for 18 years, developing skills, growing a network, building a reputation for myself in live theater, and it’s all gone now. I can’t get an equivalent job somewhere else... The entire industry that I’ve worked in for my entire adult life is gone. It’s smoke in the wind now..."

"...Our society is built on systems, and most of these systems have been designed to benefit certain people and leave others behind. Because these systems have been in place for so many decades, it's hard for many people to imagine what a world without them would look like..."

Editor's note: Minnesota's Primary Election takes place on August 11, 2020. If you would like to learn more about Athena and her campaign, visit athenahollins.com

Perfect afternoon for Minnesota Nice Cream! Their Covid19 safety protocols were awesome, including the sanitization station featured in photo number four. And! Everyone waiting in line was masked! We absolutely can have fun and be safe.

While photographing Dr. Justin Cohenour, the man in the second photo (who you can see opening the door in the first image) popped out of the building to thank the doctor for being an Essential Worker. They had never met before, and yet the exchange was so heartfelt. It was a beautiful moment.

" ...It’s hard work, not just the standard medical treatment and providing good patient care, but also the exhaustion of educating the public... Wear a mask. Care about others as if they were your family. Fight for racial equality. And treat The Earth with respect..."

"...One of the reasons I love teaching kindergarten is because I take seriously the responsibility to lay the groundwork for years to come. I am a relationship driven teacher. I love getting to know my students, their siblings, and their families. With the switch to distance learning, I lost one of the most important things..."

Macalester-Groveland neighborhood gem Wet Paint. Offering curbside pickup to make all your Pandemic Art Dreamz come true. Or at least to fill a summer afternoon...

I'm trying. And I know you are, too. Also, wear your damn mask.

"...Luckily, we’ve learned better ways to adapt to things like school, teachers stepped up a lot and made sure we were able to do distance learning. The essential workers are STILL working and choosing to work for the good of others. They’re putting their health at risk to help others, while getting paid less/the same amount as before this all started..."

"...To see people in our country so easily give up on protecting others and feeling victimized for having safety measures put in place is disheartening. Politicizing the issue makes me angry. I have made a real effort to stop reading as many comments as I used to..."

Art as protest on the East Side of St. Paul, Minn.

Sign reads :: Temporarily Closed. Be Well. Mickey's Dining Car, Downtown St. Paul, Minn.

Story Telling on The East Side of St. Paul...

"...I serve people through all three of my jobs. For my business I teach several classes a week... As a school teacher I have at least 140 kids each day. Last, but definitely not least, I'm my sister Jasmine's Personal Care Attendant..."

I received this lovely bracelet from friend and participant Mel Shirley. While photographing participant Ada Zepeda I had an immediate connection with her and gifted her the bracelet on the spot. I quickly snapped this photo before placing it on the ground for her to safely grab- We're all connected by a thread...

"...I serve food to people, charge for their meals, sometimes I carry their food and I listen to their thoughts. I also work with the fear of not knowing what will happen tomorrow... I feel insecurity, and above all, I realize the injustices that happen and that there is no equality..."

All of this. SCIENCE IS REAL. Wear your damn masks, America!

Small Biz Love for Cafe Latte in St. Paul! They've been doing a great job keeping the community feed with healthy, delicious food throughout The Pandemic. Open for take out or dine-in (I just picked up for tonight bc I have have a by_a.thread story to tell at dinner time).

"...During this pandemic, and in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, it is more important than ever to be present as an organizational and community leader... We will see the tail of this for a while and we must remember and continue to act and really see... If your eyes are more open, please keep them that way... "

"...Our form of government & the economic system which enables it have become destructive to the ends aspired to in its creation... We have a generational opportunity to create a new beginning for our society, built on a renewed understanding of those aspirations and clear acknowledgement of how we failed to live up to them..."

" ...I feel like we live in a country where people feel that if we build up one group of people it is at the expense of another. This is just bad math. I worry that we will never as a country accept that when you build up one group of people you are building up everyone..."

...Protest isn't a one-time action. It's a way of being. It's where you spend your money (and where you don't). It's voting (or not voting). It's wearing a mask in public spaces (or not). These small things add up to who we are... So. Who are you?

" ...Musicians spend their lives in one of the most fragile and uncertain professions; on a good day, in a good year, you almost never know where your next payday is coming from. In Covid Times, what that means is we were basically the first business to go away, and we'll be the last to return..."

" ...I worry what another round of shutdowns might do to our clinic and employees and patients - many people have more fear of losing their eyesight than dying of COVID-19..."

R.F. Moeller Jeweler storefront in Highland Park, St. Paul. Beautiful art by Juan T Parker.

"...I’ve felt a heavy responsibility, and guilt, as a privileged white man since the murder of George Floyd. As a retail store owner, I typically try to lay low and not offend anyone; but I can’t live like that anymore..."

"... Because I am a clinician, the pandemic is still occupying the majority of my brain, but it’s the killing of George Floyd that’s occupying most of my heart. I am hopeful that there is a shift in how we view and frame things, how we do things..."

I dreamed up the cake and the collaboration with fantastic pastry chef Francois Kiemde of @pjmurphysbakerymn (and his delightful wife, @melissakiemde).

"...This is a REVOLUTION... People (mainly white) are realizing what we've been saying for hundreds of years. We matter. I think that it's opening eyes and opening hearts and I hope that it changes the world for the better. It has to..."

Honored to be a contributor, as well as featured in, the July/August 2020 issue of Minnesota Monthly Magazine.