Dammit, I need to focus on some hope and sunshine for a bit. We the people are about to embark on a pretty tough stretch -- we see the shutdowns and isolation that's already happened, and we all know that it will be getting harder for a lot of people.
It will be hard on the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, who shouldn't be out and about at all.
It will be hard on those living paycheck-to-paycheck, especially those working in industries that will be hit hard by shutdowns.
It will be hard on everyone due to cabin fever.
So, I wanted to start a conversation to remind ourselves that, even as we isolate, we are all in this together. We all have to look out for each other. As things move forward, and we are allowed limited access to groceries and pharmacies (this is the case in much of Italy, for example -- you can go out for limited periods of time, with a limit on the number of people who can be in a store at a time), think about your neighbors who shouldn't go out/can't go out because they are vulnerable. Find out what they need, and pick things up for them.
If you know someone on the margins who might be running low on something as essential as food....share.
And, maybe use this thread as a place to share some of the lessons learned by our fellow humans around the world on how to deal with the stress, anxiety, and challenges of life in relative isolation.
We have plenty of discussion of what's happening, what's not happening, and what our fears are. In what may be one of the defining events in modern history, let's have a place to talk about what we are doing for each other, and what we can do for each other, and to take care of our own mental health and well-being.
To start: we have two elderly couples on our cul-de-sac. Today, we are going to reach out to them, ask how they are doing, and suggest to them that they think of what they might need in the coming days, and to make lists. And we'll make sure they get it.
Let's do this.