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e BOPINION 'STOP ASKING THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE 8 WE NEED TO # RECOGNIZE THAT & THERE'S NO SHAME 2 IN ASKING FOR HELP. & WRITES CLARE WAGNER AT HOUSE = OF FRIENDSHIP There's an expression yc bootstraps." It sounds ie faves moral, sound Worl hard, ana you. thn more life better. You your CLARE WAGNER Column shouldn't need any help at all. And, if you are strug- gling, it's because you aren't trying hard enough. Butt think about it for a We ‘not possible to pull yourself up by your boot- Hosting an event online or in the community? Post the details for free in our calendar, DIVERSIONS straps. You can't do it. You can't overcome physics and gravity and elevate yourself by your boot. To be lifted up, you need help. The original meaning of the expression reflects just that — "to try to do something completly ab- we community services director at Friendship, I meet strong, passionate, resilient peo- ple who are facing strug- gles through no fault of their own. There are wom- on who have fled domestic abuse, or families that are new to this country fleeing war. There are individuals living with chronic ill- nesses or injuries, who had one unlucky day at a construction site have to survive on isa ty payments {hat ar not even enoug! over “rent, let alone ‘hod, medication or other essentials. There is the working poor, often working multiple jobs and barely surviving because hey don't get paid a living we These past few years, many people have experi- enced a little taste of what it's like for these individu. als every day — especially now, as rising costs are making all of us consider every ypurchase more care- fully, juggling which bill we'll pay first. jut for many people we walk with, this is their dai- ly reality — and not just during a pandemic. These resilient folks use their strength every day and do {their best to manage. But wl their budgeting fant thoy come to us at our Emer- gency Food Hampers pro- gram. They find food, but they also find more than that. They find peace of mt is so difficult, though, for them to come to us in the first place. So many of them feel shame and guilt for asking, even though they shouldn't. And, un- fortunately, we're not a community that makes people feel good about ask- ing for help. There's often judgment and stigma — there's often the sugge: tion that they should fast “pull themselves up by their bootstraps." As a community, we can do better. We need to recognize that there's no shame in asking for help — that we all need a little help sometime: ‘hat elp, hether rough ean bet provided i in Poi. nified, kind and caring ways. In ways that em] er people to do more than simply survive. When we walk along- side our fellow communi- ty members in this way, we are all a little bit stronger. Let's build that strong unity with empathy mpassion — and stop asking those who are struggling to do the impos- sible. Clare Wagner is com: munity services director at House of Friendship. To learn more about the sup- port available through House of Friendship, visit www.houseoffriendshi- Crossword puzzle answers use American spelling CROSSWORD SUDOKU ADVANCED ACROSS 52. Notion 23. Brief doze 1. Wrongdoing 55. Wall-climbing 24. Avoid capture 916/5|2 4. Frosts fant 25, Shirt sleeve 915 8.Messy person 56. Hot and dry 8 i female 12, Romance 57. Empty 8 13. Shed feathers 58. Animal lair ais te 14. Albacore 59, Moistens 29, Snowhouse 2 3 8 15. Feasted 60. Hardens ” 16.___funat 61. Generation a ne te 7|419 17. Malt brews Understand 1 5 7 18, Hobby wood DOWN 32. — out a living 20. Unexpected attack 1. Large mop 35. Apiece 6 9 22. Movie theater 2.Small amount 38. Question 3 ri 7 25. Navy officer 3. Carol 40. Flower parts 28.Blue__ 42. Binding 9 6 715 Mountains 5. Dove's comment 43, Cabbage dish 3 “Uponthe___” 6. Broad-antlered 44. Wheel cushion ___ tent beast 45, Forget % Eccentric person 7. Vapor ° IW] am 37.Newspapers and 8. Attempt 46. pen food (S| [eis g radio Dilly 48.bb tn Lis) § 39.Use up 10. Single bis ED —— Bi a 5 41.Music system 11, Wild party 49. Etemally et ae § 43. Thickset 19, Movie genre: 50. Mimicking bird a or 3 47.___ pole hyph. 53. Now payable | la B51. Execs auto 21. Injure 54. Building addition Es Lis]