WEBVTT - Getting Open with Paul Allen 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:11.240 Hey, everybody. My name is Lindsay Young, and I'm a 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:14.440 staff writer and assistant editor here with the Minnesota Vikings. 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:17.680 I'm super excited that you are here for another segment 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:21.200 of our Getting Open series, which focuses on all things 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:24.000 mental health. I'm going to make the assumption that most 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:27.960 people are pretty familiar with today's guest Paul Allen, voice 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:31.080 of the Vikings. He also has a radio show on 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:34.680 k FAN nine to noon Monday through Fridays, and so 0:00:34.720 --> 0:00:37.800 he's typically the one asking the questions. But we decided 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:39.800 to flip the script a little bit and I got 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:43.440 to interview him. I really appreciate the conversation with Paul 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.760 because he was willing to get really vulnerable and open 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:50.120 and talk about a variety of topics, including how the 0:00:50.240 --> 0:01:02.000 COVID nineteen pandemic has affected his life personally. Well, Paul, 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:04.520 I feel a little bit strange doing this and being 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:08.560 the one asking the questions instead of answering them. So 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:12.199 thank you so much for joining us today. I appreciate it. Yeah, 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:15.760 it's my honor. The series is great. From Jail and 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:20.160 Holmes through Kendricks and then coming on my radio show 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:22.520 at KAPAN, A couple of times. Thank you very much. 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:24.800 Absolutely well. We are going to get into a few 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:26.840 different topics here today, but I wanted to start out 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:29.320 a little bit more generally because we've been doing this 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:31.520 series now for several weeks. I know you and I 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:33.840 have talked about it. Like you just mentioned, there have 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:38.039 been several players involved. I love the wide spectrum of 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:40.440 perspectives that we've been able to get on this topic. 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:42.760 And you had told me early on that you wanted 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.399 to be a part of this from your perspective. Why 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:47.840 was this an important series to be a part of 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:51.920 for you? Well, for me, you know, being a man, 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:55.160 and I mean whether you want to take it from 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:58.600 the game calls or if I know you, you know, 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:01.880 I guess that would be pacified as an emotional man 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:05.559 where I'm open, you know, I don't. I don't. I've 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:08.720 failed a lot, and I guess professionally I've succeeded to 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:12.200 a certain level and through all of that, I just 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:17.560 know through the people I've met, specifically men that you know, 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:22.080 when there are problems or when somebody's hurting, they will internalize. 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:26.200 And you know, certainly in no way to put my 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:30.800 professional a lot in life in comparison to members of 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:35.320 the Vikings or NFL or whatever. But you know, being 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.480 a public figure and to some a big fish in 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:41.440 a small pond. You know, I think people will look 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:44.160 at a lot of things I do with cafe and radio, 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:49.160 calling racist at Canterbury or calling Vikings games, and they'd 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:51.880 be like, he has it all figured out. I mean, 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:56.280 this is just absolutely fantastic. And it is. But along 0:02:56.320 --> 0:02:59.400 the way, there's been a lot of turmoil, and there's 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:01.960 been a lot of hey, and you know, I have 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:04.960 been a man who I'm not afraid to open up 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:06.840 and I'm not afraid to talk about things that are 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:10.240 hurting me, and it has benefited me all of my life. 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:12.680 So you mentioned that it's been all of your life, 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:15.320 so that's always kind of come easily for you to 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:17.840 be open to talk about your feelings, to share about 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:20.200 what's going on. That's just been something that's been natural 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:24.760 for you. Yeah, it's always been natural, like my faith, 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.960 which always has been there, you know, but I really 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.920 intensified it the last couple of years by by either 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:34.360 listening to or reading the Bible on a daily basis. 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.240 And I'd say over the last couple of years, I 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:42.680 just became more at peace and more comfortable with who 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:48.000 I am as a person, more so than PA and 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:50.840 you know everything that goes into it, and you know 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:53.960 there I'm a pretty black and white individual. There's not 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:56.960 much gray area with me, and sometimes that can be 0:03:57.000 --> 0:04:00.560 to a fault because you can, you know, you can share, 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.800 whether it's about me or trying to help somebody. And 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.480 you know, not everybody's used to that, specifically men, so 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:10.520 you know it can it can get a little awkward, 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:13.920 but by faith, I know the way I'm doing it 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:16.280 is the right way to live. Can you talk a 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:19.760 little bit more about how that faith aspect has played 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:21.880 a role in just this whole topic that we're talking 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:24.600 about in mental health? So in your mental well being? 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:27.919 What part does faith play in that for you? Well, 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:33.840 the Gospel, the prophecy, the Bible. God first and foremost 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:36.440 to me over every single thing, and always has been. 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:39.479 So you know, now that I've really taken time to 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:42.640 study the Old and New Testament, we can begin in 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:45.600 Genesis with Noah when it was all wiped out, the 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:50.120 story of Noah's ark, you know, through the turmoil and 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:55.440 everything two thousand years ago, people went, for instance, in 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:58.200 the Lard's prayer when it says give us this day 0:04:58.200 --> 0:05:01.040 our daily bread. When I'm teaching that to my kids 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:04.560 or praying it or talking about it with people, I 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:07.520 don't take it loosely. I mean, when it was written 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:11.360 two thousand years ago, they didn't eat, they didn't have 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:15.440 any food. So when they said give us this day 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:18.880 or daily bread, it was they were begging for the 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:24.320 opportunity to eat. So, whether it's coronavirus now, whether it's 0:05:24.360 --> 0:05:27.719 really anything that has transpired in the history of the 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:31.479 world or my fifty five years, I have a great 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:35.839 appreciation for the totality of the last two thousand years, 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:41.080 and it helps me put in perspective a wounding you 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:44.880 know that potentially is taking place with coronavirus and just 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:50.159 everything that goes into heavy things that are hitting us. 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:54.599 This faith is not by convenience. You know, when you 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:57.159 follow and believe in the Bible the way I do, 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:01.320 it puts things in perspective that what's right in front 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:04.120 of us now it's awful. A lot of it is 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:09.000 so awful physically for so many, mentally for so many, 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:12.919 But if you go back two thousand years, it was worse, 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:18.080 and here we are still professing the Bible. For those 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:20.640 who don't believe in it, you know, we're still debating it, 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:24.920 and that's a two thousand year prophecy. So it helps 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.880 me stay at peace, not by convenience, but by faith. 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:31.320 I know it's right, and it helps me put things 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:34.279 in perspective. I really appreciate you sharing that. I know 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:36.760 that you and I have had some conversations and you 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.240 are on the same page with that. But I think 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:41.919 you also have the nail on the head that life 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:44.599 is always hard. But this has been a really hard 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:47.360 year in a lot of different ways, for a lot 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:50.640 of different people. And even if we can find peace 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:53.159 in that, it doesn't make it not difficult. So let's 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:56.200 talk about your career. Obviously a long time voice of 0:06:56.240 --> 0:06:59.400 the Vikings, but this year looks so different for you 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:04.440 because you were calling road games from home and not traveling. 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:07.760 We understand the health protocols, We understood why that was 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:10.400 important and health and safety is number one, but it 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:12.960 did impact your job. What kind of impact did that 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.880 have on you personally and how did you kind of 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:19.880 work through that? Well. The first road game that I 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:24.400 called off TV was the Indianapolis Colts game, and I 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:28.640 made more identification mistakes in the first half of that 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:31.679 game then I'm going to make in ten years. And 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:38.360 I'm very prideful with pronunciation, preparation and just laying things 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:40.840 out the way I think the audience wants to hear it. 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:44.720 So after I tightened that up and got things good, 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:48.640 you know, I feel the calls of the games off 0:07:48.680 --> 0:07:52.440 TV were up to my standards, which are incredibly high. 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:57.400 Now the double edged sword with that, Lindsay is I 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:00.560 enjoyed it too much. And what I am enjoyed too 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:04.560 much was the convenience of coming from my house to 0:08:04.600 --> 0:08:09.760 the stadium and then getting done, going home and being 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:12.640 able to Mowilawn at for forty five in the afternoon. 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:16.800 That's great, Okay for me, that's great. That's not how 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:20.080 the job was constructed. And it's not just being able 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:22.160 to see the full plane of the field from the 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:27.240 road stadiums or feeding off the road crowds. It's everything 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:29.680 that goes into it. Working with the team, and you've 0:08:29.680 --> 0:08:34.440 traveled before, so sitting on the buses for a long 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:38.160 amount of time, the tarmac, getting up early to get 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:40.360 to the stadium three hours early, a lot of it 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.960 can be a grind, especially when the team's not winning, 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:47.240 but it's our grind, it's the team grind, and we're 0:08:47.280 --> 0:08:49.840 all doing it together. You know. During the course of 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:55.559 my career, I've had agents approach me privately about doing 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:59.320 things nationally, whether it's radio or TV, and I've always 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:02.320 thought about it or second and then I'm like, I 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:06.080 like working with a team. I like being part of 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:10.080 a team that's succeeding and feeling that exaltation. And when 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:13.240 things aren't going well, I like being on that grind too, 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:15.720 and then doing my nine to noon radio show and 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:19.840 hearing from the fans whether it's negative or it's positive. 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:22.800 And you know, I think I just became a little too. 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:27.640 It was just a little too convenient doing road games 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:30.320 the way I did them last year. If there's an 0:09:30.400 --> 0:09:33.360 organizational decision made that that's how road games are going 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:35.240 to go, I'm going to call the games off TV. 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:40.160 But you know, despite personal life sacrifice with the leaving 0:09:40.200 --> 0:09:43.480 on Saturday and getting back super late on Sunday, I 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:47.600 found myself missing that because I didn't feel like I 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:51.679 was immersed or one with the team. Did that at all? 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:54.720 Drive home for you even more kind of the importance 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:58.080 of connection, of having a support system, of being a 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:03.840 support system to tend to to one's mental health mental wellbeing. Well, 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:06.160 the answer is yes. And you know, I think a 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:10.760 lot of people would agree with this is it's yes, 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:17.360 But I'm not completely sure the totality of the why now. 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:20.760 I think the best way to put it is, I 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:24.560 haven't even met Justin Jefferson in person. I mean, that's ridiculous. Okay, 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:27.880 it was almost Rookie of the Year. He's unbelievably cool 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:30.400 and good and yeah, I did some zooms with him 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:32.880 several times, and it's the best we can do, and 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:36.080 I understand it. But I mean, you know, when you 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:40.079 go to road fellowship like I do, when you when 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:42.600 the media leaves the locker room and I'm left in 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.840 there and I'm chatting with people privately about life or 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:51.240 about the team. I greatly missed that. In fact, I 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:54.199 missed it so much that I was sour at the 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:57.880 end of the year. I mean, those home games with 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:01.160 nobody in there, and again we letely understand why. It 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:03.920 was just awful. It was just awful. I mean, it 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:07.120 was very, very The home games were more difficult than 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:10.200 the road games because I just became saddened during the 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:13.040 Star Spangled banner of what we were missing. But I 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:16.280 understood it every step of the way. So you see 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:21.160 taking hits like that, now that's me. Other people take, 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:25.640 you know, they're taking job related, family related, health related, 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:30.880 financial related hits all throughout the year. And the physical 0:11:31.000 --> 0:11:36.160 damage COVID has done, that's obvious, and people can see 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:39.320 that and they can understand what it is like if 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:43.520 they've had it like I have. The mental part of it. 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:46.520 I think that's all going to come to pass, and 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:49.360 I know it is with me. I mean, we're doing 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:53.000 this interview and I'm a Twin Cities Orthopedix Performance Center 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:56.000 actually inside at the TCO studios for the first time 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:59.040 in six months, and you know, when I walked in here, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:04.040 it took my breath away because I miss the intimacy 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:07.120 of being part of a team, sitting in Zimmer's office, 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.600 talking about things for the game coming up over the weekend, 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:16.280 being next to cousins and talking about faith and Matthew 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:20.280 eleven twenty eight and Deuteronomy and things like that, and 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:23.160 messing around with Dalvin about the great game he just had. 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:26.360 I just missed that. You know, I've done this coming 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:29.920 up on my twentieth season, So I don't call the 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:33.560 games trying to establish myself in the pecking order locally 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:37.280 of where I stand or nationally where I stand. I 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:41.520 couldn't care less about that. What I really love and 0:12:41.640 --> 0:12:45.600 adore is the intimacy and the personal contact of being 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:48.400 part of that team. And it was gone, and I 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:50.920 understand why it was gone, but it doesn't mean it 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:56.040 felt good. You mentioned the impact both physically and mentally 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:59.160 and emotionally that COVID has had on so many people. 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:01.800 And you mentioned that you dealt with COVID yourself, and 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:03.760 I know that you've been pretty open about that. Can 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:06.320 you share with us just a little bit about the 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:09.480 experience that you went through and what that was like 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.320 for you emotionally? And I know that there were positives 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:20.480 and negatives to that. Yeah. I live with a flight 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:23.880 attendant named Lisa, she's the love of my life. February 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:29.320 twenty eighth, she tested positive. So with that happening, I 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:33.000 immediately contacted kay Fan and Eric Sugarman with the vikings 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:35.760 and I said, the flight attendant came up positive, what 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.600 do I do? Kay Fan said, You're not coming in Monday, 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:42.280 March first, Sugarman said, get over here Monday morning. We're 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:45.240 going to give you a test and see what happened. Now, 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:50.760 during that time, Lisa and I had been tending to 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.400 her eighty one year old mom who has who had cancer, 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:59.800 and living with her is her son and Lisa's brother, Jimmy, 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:01.839 and he's had a very very rough life for the 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:07.920 last quarter century. So I'm positive, Lisa's positive, Agnes her 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:12.520 mom positive, and Jimmy, her brother positive. So we knew. 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.880 We knew all of that March first. So now I 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:18.640 said to Sug what do I do? And he said, 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:21.840 just wait. About two hours later, I had the worst 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:24.600 fatigue hit me a human being. It was seriously like 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.600 a freight train just rolled me over. I mean people 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:31.040 were texting and or emailing. I'd look at it and 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:35.080 I couldn't respond. I was just wiped out, lost taste, 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:39.360 lost smell, no respiratory problems, thank Evans. And I was 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:42.360 sleeping Monday and Tuesday, about sixteen hours a day. I 0:14:42.400 --> 0:14:45.520 couldn't pray. I like to listen to the Bible in bed, 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:48.480 couldn't do that. I couldn't focus, couldn't watch TV, look 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:51.640 at the internet, my phone, nothing that's okay because it 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:56.800 will pass, at least I thought. And during that time Lisa, 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.840 who also tested positive, she was fine. So now we 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:04.440 get to Wednesday, March third, jump in the hot tub 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:06.160 for a second, see what the hot water is going 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:09.640 to do in the jets after sleeping again seven in 0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:13.360 the morning until about ten in my recliner because I 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.360 just I can't function, and those who have had the 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:19.480 fatigue due to COVID know exactly what I'm talking about. 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:23.360 You can't do anything. And got out of the hot 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:27.320 tub and felt a little better and picked up my Bible. 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:30.080 With Lisa, drove up to Woodberry and said, we're going 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:32.480 to go to your mom's. She's starting to struggle badly. 0:15:32.840 --> 0:15:37.120 Everything we have heard, read or seen with those saying 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:40.840 the elderly with a predetermined condition when they get COVID, 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:45.240 look out, everything was right. Every single thing we have 0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:49.200 heard was dead accurate. And so we get over there 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:53.440 and we pray. I read some of John fourteen and 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:58.280 Romans eight to Agnes Agnes harmony. There's a lot of 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:01.080 crying in the room with Lisa and Jim. Then I 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:03.400 go to leave and I get in my car and 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:07.560 I can smell and I can taste and my fatigue 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:11.680 is gone. I had COVID forty hours, and thank Heavens, 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:13.600 however you want to look at it, I only had 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:17.680 at forty hours because two days later Lisa's COVID became 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:21.640 COVID pneumonia and she ended up in Saint Joseph's Hospital 0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:25.320 in Saint Paul for eight days. So now her mom 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:31.040 is dying rapidly, and she requested in home hospice where 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:34.280 she wanted. She wanted to die in her bed with 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.320 her loved ones next to her. So I had some 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:41.400 people who had gone through death with family members and stuff, 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:45.640 and the hospice team said to me, you know, twenty 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:50.120 four hour hospice is available, and I said no. I 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.640 got healed in forty hours, and I believe I'm healed 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:55.360 to be here to guide this woman to the end, 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:58.880 and that's what I'm going to do. So thankfully, Cafin 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:02.239 and the Vikings were I mean not thankfully, not surprisingly 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:05.639 Cafan of the Vikings were awesome during that time, and 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.640 I was at her Woodberry house twice a day at 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:10.920 least or twenty four hours a day for eight days. 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:16.280 Her daughter, Lisa was in a cold hospital room during 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:20.000 a pandemic where people couldn't come see her, so she's 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:23.720 devastated or facetiming, it's the best we can do. And 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:29.320 from that Sunday through the next Sunday when she died, 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:41.080 being somebody who had the responsibility of providing comfort and 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:45.879 care for a woman who was dying and you know, 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:49.000 a son who was really struggling in his own right 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:52.840 and basically running that hospice for eight days. It's the 0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:55.840 greatest honor ever bestowed upon me in my life. And 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:58.600 that's the only way to put it, whether it's via 0:17:58.680 --> 0:18:01.160 prayer with her, trying to get her to smile, trying 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:03.480 to get her to laugh, trying to get her jaw 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:05.719 to on lock so she could take an ice cube, 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.080 the secretion that started coming out of her mouth, and 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:12.920 how and dealing with that, changing diapers, turning her over, 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.000 just every single thing that went in with the earthly 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:20.399 ugliness that is death, while reminding her every step of 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:22.640 the way that you're going to heaven. And I'm so 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:25.119 envious that you get a chance to go to heaven. 0:18:25.160 --> 0:18:28.960 And that's awesome. It's the greatest honor that's ever been 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:32.000 bestowed upon me in my life. And when it was done, 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:35.760 you know, of course, you have a daughter and a 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:39.000 son grieving the loss of their mom. And while I 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:42.800 understood that and I felt for them for about two 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.760 or three days, I just wanted another honor like that. 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:49.640 I mean, it's like, what's next. That's all I want 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:51.280 to do the rest of my life is what I 0:18:51.320 --> 0:18:55.520 just did because of how meaningful and impactful I saw 0:18:55.760 --> 0:19:00.280 it was and how righteous it was. And took me 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:03.400 a while to get through that, you know, but yeah, 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:07.760 I mean it's it's we're all better now. But that, man, 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:14.960 that that was unbelievable. Well, thank you so much for sharing, 0:19:15.320 --> 0:19:19.879 um such a personal experience and um being so open 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.679 about that, which is, you know a lot of what 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:26.359 we're talking about. I really really appreciate you sharing that 0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:29.840 with us. And that's what I've really loved about this 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:32.280 whole series. And not to be cliche, but just the 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:37.280 idea of getting open and hearing so many different people's 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:41.520 personal stories around mental health, whether it impacts them directly 0:19:41.920 --> 0:19:45.240 or indirectly through family members and such, and the experiences 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:47.840 are just really important I think to impact other people 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:54.280 that that that whole experience, Lindsay, I mean, it's it's 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:56.280 going to set a lot of people back, and I'm 0:19:56.320 --> 0:19:58.640 not here to win God's power rankings. I'm the same 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:00.800 as you. I'm the same as car I'm the same 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:04.000 as Nate, I'm the same as everybody. I was in 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:08.919 that spot for a reason, and it impacted me in 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:12.840 a very positive way. Now my tolerance level with a 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:16.000 lack of common sense has become a zero, and I'm 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:19.159 working on that specifically having a daughter who's a senior 0:20:19.200 --> 0:20:21.879 in high school and a son who's twenty and teenagers 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:25.800 can lack common sense, so that needs to improve on 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:32.320 my part. But it's when you hold a dying person's 0:20:32.359 --> 0:20:36.159 hand because her daughter can't be there because she has 0:20:36.200 --> 0:20:39.959 COVID pneumonia and she's in the hospital. It has an 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:43.080 impact on me. That is the greatest thing I've experienced 0:20:43.080 --> 0:20:47.159 in my life. And it's a peace that I'm a 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:51.199 person who's non confrontational. I'm generally at peace, but it 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:54.440 elevated it and took it to a different level from 0:20:54.480 --> 0:20:57.920 a spiritual standpoint, And so, I mean, I guess that's 0:20:57.960 --> 0:21:02.800 the serendipity of it. You know, you somebody died and 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:05.760 her daughter couldn't be there with her, and through it 0:21:05.880 --> 0:21:09.880 all thanks to the honor bestowed upon me. I look 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:13.400 at things with more patience and I look at things 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:19.119 with more grace because I've had so much given to 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:23.240 me in my life that I'm not worthy of. And 0:21:23.280 --> 0:21:25.879 I was not worthy to be in that position, but 0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:28.920 I was put in it and I came through. So 0:21:29.320 --> 0:21:34.160 that's impacting my relationship with other people in positive ways. 0:21:35.400 --> 0:21:39.359 And when other people are listening to whether it's your story, 0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:43.960 John Randall. We talked to recently Eric Kendricks a while back. 0:21:44.920 --> 0:21:47.520 What do you hope from listening to your story and 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:50.360 from hearing some of your experiences over this past year 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:55.320 that others will take Well, there's a common thread with 0:21:55.440 --> 0:22:00.600 this series that I've noticed without people saying it. Maybe 0:22:00.600 --> 0:22:04.760 I'm wrong. If you're into the Bible, it's stated pride 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:08.600 goes before the fall. If you're not, just let me 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:11.720 tell your pride goes before the fall. So I'm not 0:22:11.760 --> 0:22:15.280 going to pigeonhole just men with this, but for a 0:22:15.320 --> 0:22:18.520 lot of men to open up and say that they're struggling, 0:22:19.080 --> 0:22:23.080 and you know what, it's more than obvious things. I 0:22:23.160 --> 0:22:26.359 took a pay cut, I'm checked to check. It's really 0:22:26.400 --> 0:22:28.840 difficult to pay the bills. All of that is real, 0:22:29.480 --> 0:22:34.240 and all of that counts, but it cuts deeper, and 0:22:34.760 --> 0:22:41.080 the pandemic year has whether it's drug abuse, alcohol, putting 0:22:41.080 --> 0:22:43.800 on a massive amount of weight, not knowing what to 0:22:43.840 --> 0:22:48.359 do with it, jobs, all of that that hurts people, 0:22:48.960 --> 0:22:54.199 and some people are too prideful to find somebody to 0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:58.200 whom they can chat about it, and even just opening 0:22:58.320 --> 0:23:02.359 up a little bit vividly with somebody you love, even 0:23:02.400 --> 0:23:08.760 just taking a tiny step. It's a breadcrumb that leads 0:23:08.800 --> 0:23:14.040 to a cruton, which leads to a full, beautiful salad 0:23:14.080 --> 0:23:18.800 of life that opens everything up for you. So just 0:23:18.960 --> 0:23:22.160 taking that first step, it doesn't necessarily have to be 0:23:23.160 --> 0:23:27.399 counseling or therapy. Maybe it is, but just opening up 0:23:27.440 --> 0:23:32.720 to somebody about your struggles. Taking that little step, it 0:23:33.160 --> 0:23:38.720 seriously is one tiny step for you, but a massive 0:23:38.760 --> 0:23:44.200 step for mankind if a lot of people do it. Yeah. Amen, 0:23:44.280 --> 0:23:46.280 I think that's so true, and it definitely has been 0:23:46.280 --> 0:23:49.159 a theme throughout this entire series. I'm thrilled that you 0:23:49.280 --> 0:23:52.400 joined us for this series. We're getting towards the end here, 0:23:52.400 --> 0:23:54.720 so thank you for being a part of it and 0:23:54.800 --> 0:23:57.600 for caring. And I know that people will really enjoy listening. 0:23:58.800 --> 0:24:05.679 It's my honor. Thank you very much, A huge thanks 0:24:05.680 --> 0:24:09.040 to Paul for joining us today and really getting open 0:24:09.160 --> 0:24:13.520 about some personal topics and some really tough topics as well. 0:24:13.960 --> 0:24:17.119 I know that I always appreciate Paul's willingness to just 0:24:17.480 --> 0:24:20.240 be himself, and you know, he doesn't mince words. He 0:24:20.320 --> 0:24:22.040 just gets to the point, and I think that's so 0:24:22.080 --> 0:24:26.760 appreciated and really makes an impact. I'm excited for next 0:24:26.800 --> 0:24:30.600 week because we are going to have one more episode 0:24:30.680 --> 0:24:32.960 of Getting Open. It's going to be kind of a 0:24:33.040 --> 0:24:37.240 unique episode. Part of it will be reflecting over the series, 0:24:37.280 --> 0:24:39.280