Today has turned into a difficult mental health day for me, professionally and personally, and I came across two different conversations that I think are worth mentioning, either as some sort of consolation or perhaps as a balm for others.

I regularly listen to a podcast, “All the Kings Men,” which discusses the ins and outs of professional hockey in the LA area. This week’s episode discussing the hopeful start of the 2017-2018 season didn’t open with the normal fanfare and sound effects; instead it opened with a very somber expression of empathy and support for those touched by the recent Las Vegas massacre. The host talked about how professional sports was really about the fans supporting the fans, and that the close ties LA and LV have had in the hockey world meant that many in Southern California had been directly affected by the attack. It was sincere and touching, and perhaps the most honest and respectful monologue about the event I could have ever expected from a sports podcast. I really wish our national news took notes.

The second was an unexpected revelation published by a security researcher I follow on Twitter. By trade she’s a penetration tester, meaning it’s her job to convince others to let her into sensitive areas of the workplace so she can demonstrate holes in their security, both in technology and in personnel. She’s also a mother and a host of other things, and today she discussed a terrible series of events that largely defined her as a person for a long time. She talked about the many years of sexual and emotional abuse, how if it weren’t for other victims coming forward that she never thought she would have the strength to, and her commitment to actually getting his confession on tape for the police. She talked about the trial, and what she was feeling during the entire terrible experience.

Both of their candor and tact in discussing these harrowing and tragic events spoke volumes to me. In a world of so many people speaking so often, about so many things, here were two very different commentators, discussing very different events, succinctly and effectively getting their words across, cutting through the noise and chatter of everyday internet life.

There isn’t specifically a point to this post, other than I felt it important to remark on both of these moments, particularly when I myself was having a fairly emotionally-draining day, when motivation and ability to communicate seemed to be at a genuine low.