by Beth Hardesty

I’ve been fortunate over the past months to talk with various AAUW members on the phone.   There was no set agenda for our calls — I called to say hello and we went from there.   We covered lots of territory, from the descriptions of pandemic project work like emptying out old moving boxes and cleaning the basement, to the need for a different approach to public policing and dissatisfaction with various politicians.  We also talked about how each of us was coping with maintaining contact with friends and family during a time when we cannot be physically together. 

Once again, I am struck by the vibrancy of ideas that abounds through our organization, and the curiosity, enthusiasm, and needed humor with which members address whatever life might send our way.   Phone calls are not the same as sitting across the table from another person and sharing thoughts, opinions, and observations, but, at least for me, I realized that even on the phone, the women of AAUW give one another renewed energy and perspectives for facing our common and individual issues.   I greatly appreciate the time my new “phone friends” gave to share a small part of a morning or afternoon with me.  I look forward to talking more.  And, like all of us I am sure, I am anxious for the day when we can continue our conversations in person at an AAUW event.