Kindnes goes a long way
My wife and I are in our middle to late 70s and have health issues, putting us in the high-risk category for contracting and dying from the Covid-19 virus. We have been staying and working from home since the middle of March to avoid exposure. This has necessitated interesting changes to our routines.
We have always been social people who love to be in contact with our friends and family. I even strike up conversations with strangers in places like the grocery store, just to increase sociability. The government has urged “social distancing” to flatten the curve of exposure to the virus. We found that to be a misnomer. We use “physical distancing” instead, keeping at least six feet between us and others when we do go out.
We have learned to keep up contact with our friends and family using technology. We love making and receiving phone calls. We use Facetime and other video conferencing platforms for virtual dinners and happy hours. Meetings for work are now audio or audiovisual and work just fine. Seeing the grandkids laugh and hearing them sing or play their instruments on a computer screen or iPhone is not as good as it would be in-person, but suffices in these uncertain times.
Shopping has also been interesting. I usually shop for the groceries for us. I miss the time spent cruising the aisles looking for new culinary experiences and speaking with others doing the same. When we first shuttered in, I used the pick-up services at Pick N Save and Sendiks. They worked very well initially, but the time between placing the order and being able to pick it up has now increased to over a week. Luckily, our local Piggly Wiggly has a wonderful volunteer, out of work at a local public school, who will shop for us and deliver the food to our garage on the same or next day after I email her my order. She has been a great help and I try to just call on her service once a week so she has time for other orders for those like us who have self-quarantined.
I have also ordered more things on-line, mostly through Amazon. Hand sanitizer ingredients and coffee pods in bulk are now shipped directly to a bin on our front porch. So are books for the avid reader next to me on the couch.
We are mailing more as well. We’re getting drawings and other refrigerator art from the grandkids. Videos of past concerts also come by mail. Letters from friends checking in come as well. We used the mail to send postcards to potential voters as part of the new campaign methods of voter contact have emerged.
Dining out was always a treat for us and we loved to patronize our favorite local pubs and eateries. Now we do take out or curbside pick-up from these local businesses to try and help them weather the storm and take a break from cooking and dishes.
My work as a guardian for the elderly, most with dementia, has been curtailed significantly. I would normally visit my wards in the facilities where they live to check in on them, review medical records and speak with caregivers. With the pandemic, all assisted living and nursing facilities have banned outside visitors, except for medically necessary ones, so I cannot visit in-person. That means family cannot visit their loved ones either. I have switched to email and phone contact with facility staff to keep up with the condition of my wards and have picked up more contact with their family members as I relay changes in visiting rules and health conditions.
Through all of these changes, we have found that the people involved are going above and beyond to take care and be kind. Civility is on the increase as folks realize that we are all in this mess together and it will take each of us maintaining our “physical distance” for the contagion curve to flatten.
I, and many others, are grateful for the helpers who have stepped up to help us survive. Let’s work to continue the kindness once this pandemic passes.
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