51 Comments

Bill, your column is filled with calm reason and a grounded perspective. We feel your respect and appreciation for the stories that you bring and your readers who enjoy them. Keep up the great work.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Hi Bill, I had an email last night from a very successful businessman based in Boston. He wrote, "Times like this I wish I lived in a place where 80% of what I ate was grown within 100 miles". I am the Chair of the Irish International Business Network www.iibn.com and if there's any way we can help people who want to know/do/learn more in, about or around Ireland our pro-bono organisation is here to help. It looks like we'll be unlocking the country at the start of May so now is a good time to start asking questions and planning....

Thanks as always, Conall O Morain, Dublin, Ireland

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Good morning, Bill. Just thanks for everything you are doing and sharing to help us all. I have my shopping list for the pharmacy ready thanks to you and your payment to the WSJ... In joy, Joan

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

From free masks, free Easter Bags, food for those who need it-it’s great to hear about how people in our communities are helping each other, no questions asked. One community fire department in RI is sending out tricks with flashing lights to arrive on your birthday! it would be great to have a “No Questions Asked” section to cheer those people on and perhaps give others ideas on what they can do o a very personal level to help out and raise spirits.I love your calm kind “tell it like it is” approach while we keep on keeping on.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Hi Bill and thanks for your insights every morning. Maybe send out a link with a date and time for a massive zoom call for this eclectic group of readers that you have brought together to meet each other face-to-face so to speak for a few minutes?

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Hi, Bill, I'd like to read about the statistics of covid deaths and recoveries distributed by age and health condition - in the US and worldwide.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Bill - love your stuff and keep it coming. You must have gone to Fairfield University - I had Dr. Grossman too and can totally picture him doing what you described.

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Hi Bill, Maybe you could do a story about how the U..S. could go from the open minded era you describe in the first paragraph to the petty vindicative government you have now. As a Canadian I am more than disgusted at how the U.S. Government is treating it's allies. As my father would have said about Donald Trump "He is so narrow minded he could look through a keyhole with both eyes at the same time".

Love your column keep up the good work.

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I noted in a report that Canadian deaths are low. Keep up the good work there. You may have new countrymen/women after our election, just saying.

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Wouldn't surprise me in the least.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Hi Bill, Thanks so much for your newsletter! I look forward to reading it every day.

I wanted to share with everyone a new website to help college students and student loan borrowers. https://StudentAidPandemic.org provides free guidance on student loans and financial aid during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit I work for, MappingYourFuture.org joined with another nonprofit, The Institute for Student Loan Advisors, to create the site. The web development company, Decision Partners, donated their time and resources to help create the site. I hope everyone is well and staying safe!

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Your columns have become a bright spot in my day Bill! Lets discuss what sales positions will look like post covid-19 and offices in the major cities!

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I receive perhaps a dozen news and commentary emails each morning. Some are purely for news and facts and then theirs your email - informative, easy to digest, and often makes me smile. Keep up the great work!

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Thanks Bill!

I generally troll these boards. But today I wanted to let you know that I really enjoy what you are providing as well as this group that follows you.

BTW: I am looking for work....find me on LinkedIn: Eddie Killian.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Love the story about your professor! The timing is especially perfect as Roman Catholics and Protestants around the world spend today — Good Friday — remembering the Jew who died on the cross for all of humanity.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

A story from South Dakota: our state government has not issued a shelter in place because they say population size/density doesn’t require it, but this week revealed an outbreak (roughly 25% of our state’s total positives) at a Chinese-owned meat packing plant deemed essential to the food chain. It’s now closed three days for cleaning, but workers — mostly low-wage immigrants — are being offered $500 if they don’t miss work when it reopens. Coverage is in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

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Great story about your professor. It likely made the early start time more bearable. Your posts are always interesting and timely. I look forward to reading them each morning. Keep up the great work!

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What a great story today.even as you wrote about the professor laughing and how all you started to laugh because it’s infectious I was chuckling too because those moments are some of the best in life and offer that stress relief we all need. Thanks for what you bring to my morning!

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Thanks for "enlightening" my day with your story about your professor. It definitely puts life in to perspective and how fortunate we all are, even in the midst of these trying times. I enjoy reading your daily updates first thing with my morning java, helps prime the pump for the day.

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What a great day starter the story of your professor is. You are a very good story teller. I loved the reminder of our differences and the ideas that bind us and the little bits of wisdom that make me think. I read the comments because they actually add to the conversation. Thanks everyone in this community.

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Every day I look forward to reading your thoughts put to the keyboard! Thank you for sharing and providing your perspectives!

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Hi Bill - first time I've posted. I've been reading your posts since you broke away and started Understandably. I appreciate the insights you share and the "realness" with which you do so. As was shared below, you have a gift for storytelling and a good sense of timing for what topics to touch upon when. There is both wisdom and vulnerability reflected in your writing - I appreciate the humanity, honesty, and care you demonstrate in your work. Thank you! To you, your family, and the rest of this community of readers - be well!

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Well said, Chris. I completely agree. Bill, keep it up for all of us out here who look forward to your wit and insights every day! Now more than ever, it is appreciated.

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Good morning. Thank you for the insight, interesting articles and offer to help. Yes, I was RIF'd due to C-19. I am a HLS SME with extensive background in consulting, EHR implementations, ERP implementations, integrations into all healthcare systems, and SalesForce experience. Some of my credentials include being a CPA, CISA, MBA, TOGAF level 2 and PMP. Any HLS leads would be great. Contact me at bradleydmoody@gmail.com with any information. Thanks, Happy Easter.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

When we are struggling, it can be helpful to turn our minds and hearts and prayers to others in need. Here's a current example from the South Pacific. I received this email from my father at midnight last night about my brother, a doctor who sold his practice and moved to Vanuatu last year to help their struggling healthcare system:

"Matt just called me on Skype to say that he is about to depart by ship with a team of 3-6 people and a load of medical supplies to go to the north part of Ambrym Island in the Vanuatu chain, which was hard hit by Cyclone Harold a few days ago and where they have not been able to establish communications since the category 4-5 storm hit. After assessing the situation and giving what medical care they can, he anticipates they will send in a helicopter to take him and perhaps 2 other people to Santo, one of the other large islands that was severely impacted. They will then probably be transported again by helicopter to Pentecost for the same purposes.

They are likely to encounter absolute devastation of these communities and find themselves in less-than-safe circumstances. Please join me in praying for him and his partner, Ben (the EMT) and the others who may accompany them and for the affected people.”

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prayers for strength, for safety. Thanks for sharing.

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Prayers for these heroes.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Hi Bill - sup.. !! ok don't shoot me for saying / suggesting this, would getting this community to FB group be an idea.. You can share your daily wisdom, have FB lives, Tuesdays can be for sharing your business, Wednesdays could be the day is for volunteer opportunities.. Thursdays, is the day for those who have ISO posts, can go there, Fridays could be the day to ask questions to your family (haha) no I'm serious.. your wife is 'Bill's first lady' correct?.. I know it's too rigid, and that's my mind work with structure, maybe. I know this would mean one more thing Bill will do.. Maybe get passionate or enthused readers to help you be moderators and have rules around what's not allowed. yada yada. Peace out.. love love your posts. thank you. always learning something.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Jesuits - god's commandos, first ones in, when it was time to "bring the word" to far off places. Highly recommend https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_(2016_film)

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Hi Bill,

I see a tremendous portion of “good” interspersed with the challenges everyone is going through, and I worry that we’re at risk for losing much of that good “when things get back to normal.” How can we hold on to those things, as we look forward to times of less challenge? From simple acts of acknowledgement: the wave or ‘Hello!’, in passing, when out for our daily walks, with people we live around but have otherwise ignored for years; to larger societal impacts: the positive outcomes of being forced to work from home (for those of us so blessed) on rush-hour traffic, for just one example - can we choose to hold on to these things, and get some durable positive change to our society from this time of pain and suffering? Should we do that, and if so how?

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Apr 13, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

I noticed people, whom I don’t even know, smiling and waving at us as we drove through some neighborhoods yesterday. Maybe they thought we were crazy in our little red Saab with the top down. (We did have the heater on, lol!)I’d rather think we gave them a little hope that spring was coming and that we will all be out of this soon!

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Each morning I start my day by enjoying my cup of tea and your email is the first I read. I enjoy your wit and the mix of information and topics you share. As a marketer - it is all about content and the story we share - and you do an amazing job at building your brand. Don't ever stop!

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Thank you, Bill, for bearing part of your soul (I hope you keep some to yourself) everyday. I have wanted to reply back to you this week, primarily about the baseball & should it start. But this has been a difficult week for me. IDK why but it has. I've been really sad. Maybe all of this is just now hitting me. Maybe I just need a hug (my boyfriend is isolating at his place & we haven't been within 6 feet of each other since March 7th). Maybe it's that it looks completely normal outside but it isn't. Maybe because one of our building doormen died & he had "the rona" & he was only 3 years older than me. Maybe because my family is in another state & I worry about them being safe from this. Okay, back to baseball, which is my first love, I really would like to say 'yes let's do this'. But this week, being how it's been, I'm not going to make that call. Maybe I'll feel better about this next week & think that baseball can help. But right now, I can't think that far ahead.

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Wondering, Mary Kay, if there are baseball FB groups that you might enjoy...always fun to talk about your favorite thing.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Thanks Bill. Reading your email is one of my favorite parts of how I start each day.

An idea to explore: there is so much talk about Work From Home - and it is very appropriate - and also all those trying to figure out home schooling their kids. But what about those in-between. What about College From Home?

We live in TN and my daughter went off to college this year down in Florida. The week after spring break she had to come home and everything shifted online. She is very bright (talking Calc II, Physics, etc) - but she chose to go to college - not an online school. I know everyone is having to figure out how to adjust, but I’m really curious how many kids have struggled to “doing college” back at home.

Different topic - but my heart also hurts for all the seniors in college and high school. The loss of all the rights of passage. No prom. No graduations.

Thanks again.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Agreed, would love to see a post about rights of passage during this time. And even considerations like funerals and caring for others in a creative way during these challenging times

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

I automatically thought that "online" school was going to be seen as a shortcut or a bad type of school in comparison brick and mortal schools, but now with all of this happening, I wonder if this is going to become the more common norm.

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This is a great suggestion. I'm going to follow up on it. Thank you!

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Thank you for the newsletter!

Given that a lot of people are trying to make sense of this Covid-19 pandemic, some I know are living in a surreal daze, and some wondering where is God in all this. This clip is excellent ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPm6Y-pANYI ... it's an over hour long YouTube video so you may want to just listen to the last half.

In the video, John Lennox (Cambridge professor) addresses a forum at Harvard Medical School on the subject of suffering and natural disasters, and his thoughts from a Christian perspective and addresses other perspectives a little. Fitting for Good Friday and a better understanding of God and Christianity, but don't expect nice clean answers. He is open and seems to be very sincere.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Bill, thanks for bringing God into the conversation. Through a local spiritual center, The Well for the Journey, I've been volunteer facilitator for this webinar. All are welcome for the next one on April 20:

Life, Interrupted: Finding comfort amid chaos and uncertainty This program provides an opportunity to connect and to develop steps to rise above fear, anxiety and confusion to hope and a greater sense of calm. Through guided conversation and questioning, we will separate fact from hyperbole, optimism from fearfulness and find opportunities for grace and gratitude as we make space for the uncertainty that lies ahead. Registration for this program closes 24 hours prior to start. DATE: April 20, 2020 TIME: 10-11:30 AM LOCATION: Zoom online meeting (A Zoom link will be provided before the session.) COST: $25 VOLUNTEER FACILITATOR: Gerri Leder, ACC BIO: Gerri Leder is a leadership and transition coach who helps courageous people recognize their value, navigate change and live fully. She engages professionals and teams in optimizing their strengths and cultivating their abilities to lead, prosper and produce greater results.

www.trailblz.info

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

I sit on the board of our local Chamber of Commerce. Our Ex Dir is really concerned about the 100+ year old Chamber being able to stay afloat through all of this. Chambers are a 501(c)(6), not a 501(c)(3) and considered trade organizations. They are not receiving any financial support being offered by the government to other nonprofits. Why is this?

How can the Chamber support our struggling businesses without financial support? Members are struggling to pay their fees because they aren't making money right now. New members aren't joining because they don't even know if they will still be in business for much longer. None of the fundraising events normally held by the Chamber are cancelled.

I would love to learn more about why this is and what can be done to change it.

Thank you for your great newsletters!

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Correction... None of the fundraising events normally held by the Chamber are allowed to happen. They are all cancelled.

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Love the story about the professor and the newsletter. Well done; be safe!

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Thanks Bill! You are so engaging and clear and I really enjoy reading anything you write about :)

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

My daughter is a college freshman and she had us laughing to tears at the dinner table last night with this story about one of her online classes. Her archeology professor was trying to make things more interesting for his Zoom presentation and so he had crafted a canoe out of brush and grasses (ala Native American style). The whole class watched as he attempted to launch the canoe in a pond. You get where I'm going with this, right? The canoe capsized and his phone dropped into the muddy water. The entire class was watching each other virtually, chuckling at what had just happened. He resurfaced, phone was fine, and he reappeared soaking wet! You can't make this stuff up! This story will definitely go into the COVID-19 memory bank.

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Just wanted to say this is the only e-newsletter I read all of every single day. I've been working 55-hour weeks for some time now, but somehow from home, they seem harder (no kids, only cats, and for them, I am grateful). I'm a manager who is trying to train two new editors remotely, and we just asked our team for volunteers for a month-long furlough. The fact that we got 12 (out of 50) in less than 24 hours makes things seem a little less dreadful right about now. Keep it up. Thanks!

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Apr 10, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

The power of laugh, noting the class laughed before Dr. Grossman offered the explanation.

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From a reader:

“Does anyone have the same nightmares that I have? Where it turns out that of all the people outside my family that I love (co- workers, college friends, neighbors) two of them are asymptomatic COVID19 Typhoid Mary-like carriers...

But no one knows which two?

It depresses me that I have to think that any one of these people could harm my health or my family’s health and drives me toward more isolation.

What do you think?”

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It's your survival instinct kicking in

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Apr 13, 2020Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.

Hi Bill, thanks for your daily emails. A cool idea to explore are ways in which our lives will be transformed by this pandemic. I was talking with my wife the other day about how life changing 9/11 was for airline travel, and although it was drastic at the time, we know accept most of those changes as part of a travel experience. My kids (who were born a couple of year after 9/11), will never know what it was to walk through a standard metal detector (coffee on one hand, full carry on on the other) along with your whole family, all of whom would walk with you all the way to your gate. With this pandemic, lots of things will change. Will we be required to wear surgical masks while travelling? Will airlines be required to take your temperature before you board a plane? How will this change our day to day shopping experience?.... and so on. Just a couple of things that have been going around my head during the last couple of days. Thanks again for your wonderful column!!

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HI Bill,

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy reading Understandably every day. I really appreciate your perspective and humor! I would love to see you write a post on how COVID-19 is affecting our high school and college students as I have a high school senior who is undecided on what she wants to do next year (virtual college tours are NOT the same as in person). All her end of year events just cancelled last week as the state of Maine just announced that all school systems should transition to online learning for the rest of the year. We will see what this means for graduation ceremony.

I also have two college students who are adapting to online classes - one of whom had to return home from her study abroad experience in Australia. She is still taking her classes from the Australian university...just from the comfort of our home here in Maine. Not exactly the same. The other college student left NYC four weeks ago "temporarily" and only returned to campus for 30 minutes three weeks ago to move her stuff out of her dorm. CRAZY!

In the last several weeks, we have definitely learned that some teachers/professors have been able to adapt better than others...and that makes a huge difference on how students are able to transition as well.

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