Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com September 2, 2020 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Jackie Deal CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2020 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the com- munity, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the loca- tion of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Mail letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 DEADLINE : WED. SEPT. 9 TH for Sept. 16 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com COVID-19 Updates There are a total of 202,342 con- fi rmed cases of coronavirus in Ari- zona and 5,044 coronavirus-related deaths according to the AZDHS numbers Tuesday morning. The La Paz County Health Depart- ment currently has a total of 498 confi rmed cases with 15 deaths. Please do your part and stay home when you do not feel well! If you are experiencing a change in how you feel and get tested, please stay home until you receive the test results. • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiz- er. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue. Consider wearing cloth face coverings, if it can be safe- ly managed, in public settings where other physical distancing measures are diffi cult to maintain. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. • If you are at higher risk for severe illness, you should avoid attend- ing congregate settings. People at higher risk for severe illness include adults 65 or older and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions. For more information on La Paz County and the state, please visit the ADHS coronavirus website at www.azdhs.gov/coronavirus, the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/COV- ID19 , the La Paz County Health De- partment website at https://www. lpchd.com/ and the Facebook page @LaPazCounty.HealthDepartment I remember what decency looked like. When I fi rst started waitress- ing in my teenage years, we all knew the manager would protect us if customers misbehaved. Then I became a restaurant manager in a fi ne dining establishment, and I would not allow customers to be rude to my staff or disturb the din- ing experience of others. Custom- ers were expected to communicate dissatisfaction while still preserv- ing decorum. It was very rare to witness a person in public raging at a service provider. People could actually express their frustration without pulling a weapon and threatening each other. Yeah, those were the days, right? Today, I saw another angry cus- tomer video. A man was raging at Wal-Mart employees who told him a mask was required. I felt for the employees who were just doing their job. As a boss, I always want- ed to protect my staff from this type of abuse. As a simple human being, I can understand the anger of the customer, but I have much more compassion for the staff that he tar- geted, as verbal abuse can have last- ing damage. We all feel anger at times. Obvi- ously we can't always control what we feel, but we can control how we react to those feelings. Yelling and verbal confrontations rarely posi- tively inspire or motivate another. Dr. Asa Don Brown, Ph.D. ex- plains in Psychology Today, "Avoid- ing the use of yelling, is not an indi- cation that we are weak, permissive, laissez-faire, or lacking in personal strength. Rather, by avoiding yell- ing, we are capable of being in per- sonal self-control and competent during challenging times." He suggests when engaging with others, be mindful and aware of your personal demeanor. Consider using breathing techniques, prayer, or meditation. I totally understand the frustra- tion we all are feeling these days. Social media provides an outlet for suppressed anger. How to engage without being a jerk takes practice. We should always be seeking forms of communication that are uplifting, inspiring, encouraging, and supportive. "Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured." —Mark Twain Z

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