Ain’t it Good to Know?

I’ve been looking forward to this week for some time. One of my besties and I had tickets to see Carole King in concert. As with all planned gatherings of more than 10 people, our concert fell victim to COVID-19 and has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date. I’m disappointed, of course, but given how much worse my situation can be, I’ll file this under “first world problems.”

Since I won’t be seeing Carole live this week, I decided the next best thing would be to turn on my playlist and pound some pavement. I had forgotten how much I love the song “You’ve Got a Friend” until it came on somewhere around mile 3. Listening to this touching song in light of this week’s events, I found myself paying closer attention to the lyrics.

When you’re down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

Given that we all have to stay six feet apart, it’s more important than ever that we make a concerted effort to let people know we care. In fact, I think we need to start referring to this practice as physical distancing instead of social distancing. Social distancing infers loneliness, isolation and no communication. We can still be social, but at a safe distance. There’s far too much worry, stress and negativity being shared right now. Let’s counter it with positivity and a little love-thy-neighbor. Try picking up the phone or video chatting with a friend. Sending a letter, text or email to check in. Ordering groceries online, picking them up and leaving them on the doorstep of an elderly neighbor. If you use social media, us it to spread cheer, not worry. As the Rt. Rev. Jake Owensby (IV Bishop of Western Louisiana) shared during Morning Prayer (via FaceBook live) this morning, love conquers fear.

Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend
When people can be so cold
They’ll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them, oh yeah, don’t you let ’em now

We can let this crisis beat us down or we can emerge stronger by linking arms (figuratively speaking) and taking care of one another.

Hey now, all you have to do is call
And I’ll be there, yes I will
You’ve got a friend
You’ve got a friend, yeah

Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend