Hello everyone, and welcome to Speaking with Joy, a podcast to fill your soul, challenge your mind, and make you brave.

I'm your host, Joy Clarkson, and an evangelist for all things good, true, and beautiful.

So make yourself a cup of tea, find somewhere comfortable, and let's dive in to this week's episode.

I wish it need not have happened in my time, said Frodo.

So do I, said Gandalf, and so do all who live to see such times.

But that is not for them to decide.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. Hello friends and welcome back to Speaking with Joy.

I am speaking with you today from an abnormally quiet St. Andrews in Scotland.

The university here, where of course I'm doing my PhD in speaking,

three days ago said that there would be no more face-to-face classes

and packed up all of its students who could leave from their halls and sent them home for the remainder of the semester.

The grocery stores are picked through and there's no potatoes or pasta left and everyone is sitting quietly in their house. I, for one,

have been in my house for the last three days, and have watched Poirot and Miyazaki films and drunk more

coffee than is good for me. And while this has been an oddly enjoyable, restful few days,

it is not without its disorientation and its disruption and its fear.

I know that my life is much like the rest of yours, where suddenly we've seen cancellations,

disruptions, disappointment, and where fear has flickered onto our radar in ways that we would

not have anticipated even just two weeks ago.

I know for many of you that fear may be for an older relative or someone who has health issues,

but it also may be the fear surrounding a sudden loss of job or of income.

This is truly a global disruption, a global disorientation. And I just want you to know that whatever emotions you're feeling do not belittle them in the face of this large global thing. This really

is truly a disruptive and a disorienting time. And it's very reasonable for you to feel any

...