大家應該還記得我高中時有個朋友Joanna吧！她是我在史岱文森高中的同學，高材生、九頭身的名模，後來不幸得了骨癌。我父親和我的書裡都提到她，很多讀者對她印象深刻，現在還不時會問到她的近況。
這些年來，她自己住在紐約市。我剛才看到她寫的這篇心情筆記，覺得很感動，應該與大家分享。
我問她：「如果你願意讓我直接分享的話，有可能會有以前的讀者開始追蹤你，你如果不方便的話，我就剪貼你的文字就好。」
她回說：「我不介意，其實我還挺歡迎的！我都已經獨居三年了。有些新朋友，可以鼓勵我更好好的照顧自己！」
And so... 讓我分享她這段文字，也歡迎各位朋友轉發，鼓勵那些仍舊在前線提供社會必要服務的辛苦工作者們！
Thank you Joanna!
翻譯如下：
事情就這樣發生了：今天晚上7:00，紐約市為讓這座城市運轉的所有「必要勞工」鼓掌喝彩，謝謝所有前線的人！
在紐約市的Astoria，這陣掌聲迴響，在我居住的建築物後面的峽谷中迴盪了整整3分鐘。我和鄰居一起加入時，我試圖從窗台那兒發出一些聲音。我盡可能地用我不太靈光的左臂/肩膀拍手，應該還大喊了一聲「謝謝！！」
在我看來，這不僅僅是一種響亮的方式來向所有這些「必要勞動者」表示我們的鼓勵。這是一種團結一致地集氣的方法。對我來說，也許是因為我已經在孤獨中度過了很多時間，所以用力拉高聲音發出一聲“嗚～”的歡呼，是一種情緒能量釋放，而不是因為失去理智而被壓抑的，該死的尖叫吶喊。
我認為這可能是整個紐約市的能量釋放。
在我過度戲劇化的頭腦中，我周圍的所有掌聲、喧鬧、吼叫和歡呼幾乎感覺像是朝著天上集體的咆哮，直接對著上天，直接對著此時此刻正在籠罩著人類的命運。
當我仔細考慮這個問題並注意到鄰居們走火通道和拍手拍打窗戶時，我向右看了一眼，並意識到了為什麼所有那些走火通道的人都向右轉，並朝著這個方向歡呼。因為那是阿斯托里亞（Astoria）醫院的方向，從右邊向窗外看，我才意識到救護車的車泊離我僅僅一條街之遠。我能看到它。我本人已經在這裡生活了20多年，那家醫院周圍的救護警報聲常常讓我半夜醒來。在我的大城市街角的拐角處開一家醫院感覺很不錯，但我必須說，直到我真正看到那輛救護車的車庫大門，就在我住的大樓後面的小巷敞開，我才發覺自己多麽貼近這場疫情的中心。
但我不想關心這個。我寧可去關心一下醫院工作人員的勇氣和奉獻精神，他們身著白色和綠色的手術衣、防護罩、裝滿“ PPE”（個人防護設備）的救護車進來。他們在履行職責時幾乎沒有停下來接受獻給他們的歡呼。我如今驚訝目睹的，是來自這場人類對抗天災的戰爭前線的一幕。
So this just happened: At 7:00 PM this evening NYC clapped and cheered for all the Essential Workers keeping this city going. Thank you to all those on the front lines!
In Astoria, NYC, this wave of applause resounded, echoing in the canyon in the back of the building where I live for a good 3 minutes. Even I joined in with my neighbors as I tried to make some noise out my window. I clapped as best as I could with my “wonky left arm/shoulder” and I may have yelled out a “Thank You!!”.
To me it felt like more than just a loud way to show our appreciation to all those Essential Workers. It was a way to collectively make some noise as a group, in unity. To me, perhaps because I already spend so much time in solitude, it was an emotional release to let out a “Woo” at the top of my lungs — instead of a pent up scream of losing my mind. Damn.
I think it may have been a release for the entire City of New York.
In my overly dramatic mind, all of this applause and noise and yelling and cheering all around me almost felt like a collective roar at the sky, at Heaven itself, for the fate which is enveloping humanity at this moment.
And as I pondered this and took notice of neighbors out on fire escapes and hands clapping in windows, I glanced to my right and realized why all those out on their fire escapes were turning to the right and directing their cheering in that direction. It was because that is the direction of the hospital in Astoria, and looking to the right and out the window, I realized that the ambulance bay is probably the length of a city block away from me. I can see it. I know this intrinsically as I have lived here for over 20 years now and the sirens from the emergency vehicles around that hospital often startle me awake in the middle of the night. Having a hospital on the corner of my large city block always felt like a good thing, and it still does, but I must say I didn’t give the implications from the pandemic much thought until I actually saw that ambulance bay, open to the back alley behind my building.
I still don’t want to think about those implications. I’d rather think about courage and dedication of the hospital staff who came out in their white and green scrubs, in protective covering, in full “PPE” (Personal Protective Equipment) into that ambulance bay. They barely paused to take in the cheering directed at them as they went about their duties. For me it was a startling glimpse into the edge of the trenches on the front line of this battle with this latest scourge on Humanity.
