- April 13, 2020
- Posted by: Hillary Feder
- Category: Individual Engagement
It is not easy to know what day of the week it is at the moment. They seem to be melting into each other. I knew yesterday was Monday through a weekly 6 am call with a colleague on the East coast. My husband has pointed out that we are all living the movie, Groundhog Day. I believe I am in the minority, but I did not like the movie. Living it is worse.
All of that said, we are in this together, and we all have crucial roles to help flatten the curve, move our country to the other side of this health part crisis, and begin the longer-term healing process. From my perspective, we all fall into one of three buckets for what we are being asked to do and what we can do to contribute to these efforts.
Bucket #1
Our critical infrastructure workforce.
From healthcare to transportation and logistics, law enforcement to those providing essential goods like groceries, the National Guard to those providing telecommunications support. Many of these people are in public-facing roles, anxious about possibly getting sick, and overworked based on personnel shortages. Yet they are putting themselves out there for others.
Bucket #2
Companies manufacturing capacity that have been working feverishly to determine if they can pivot their manufacturing capabilities to produce much needed personal protective equipment (PPE).
- From kayaks to face shields
- From automotive to ventilators
- From fashion apparel to non-surgical face masks
- From perfume to hand sanitizer
- From distilleries to disinfecting alcohol
- From hotels to quarantine centers and residences for healthcare workers who don’t want to risk infecting their family
- And the list goes on…..
Many of these manufacturers working hard to secure a different supply chain, establish credibility and connect with those who are in need for what they can produce.
Bucket #3
Those of us who have been asked to work remotely and quarantine at home.
Some are working to balance a professional life with the digital tools they have available and/or facilitate distance learning for children and more.
No matter who you are, everyone has an important role to play, and we’re all experiencing varying degrees of frayed nerves. For Buckets 1 and 2, the contributions for the greater good are self-evident. They can more easily be seen. But for Bucket 3, your meaningful and intentional contributions likely manifest themselves in different, less visible but no less vital ways. If you are wondering what you can do that you currently may not be doing, not, below are a list of ideas to help you consider as we move through the days and weeks ahead. While not exhaustive it is a good start. Please consider sharing additional ideas..
- Stay at home, maybe not easy — but essential
- Breathe deeply to keep calm and carry on
- When interfacing with the clerk at the grocery store, a delivery driver, or other service people, remember to thank them loudly and by name (look for a name badge).
- Do something extra for someone you know (or maybe you don’t) in Bucket 1 and 2
- A written note of thanks with some positive energy.
- Use some art therapy to create a pretty visual or take one of the many that your children have created and send it to:
- Police station;
- Fire station;
- Senior living care facility;
- An individual living alone and feeling isolated;
- Develop a call list for those you know that are isolated and/or elderly and call weekly to check in and say hello. If you don’t know someone personally call a leader in your worship community or a non-profit agency, they will have lists of people that could use the touch of a human voice.
- Find online games that you can play virtually with others; create meet-ups weekly to connect and play.
- Make a hot meal and drop it on the doorstep of someone whose additional responsibilities limit their time to cook.
- If you sing or play an instrument, create a short music video and post to social media or send it to someone who needs an emotional lift.
It takes a village, but together we will get through this. Be safe, stay well and please share your experiences with me. Each success story is a breath of fresh air!