Loving from a distance
In this time of uncertainty and standing 6 feet away from each other, we are all bound to feel a bit anxious in the midst of our sprints of calmness. Here are some things we've been doing to take care of ourselves and the community.
Video and phone chats. Facetime, Skype, Zoom with friends and family for a catch-up. Dial a number, don't send a text, give your great aunt an old-school phone call and ask her what she's doing to prepare for spring. She'll love it!
Cook all the food. Andrea McCoy's food blog, Salt and Stone, is our go-to for local inspiration and straightforward, delicious recipes. Also, her Instagram feed will make you hungry.
Support our local economy. Buy gift certs from any of our locally-owned restaurants. Our beloved restaurants are feeling the pain because we're at home cooking all the food when we would normally be indulging. When you buy a gift cert from them, you put cash in their pocket today AND you invest in a future meal to celebrate life after COVID-19. You can order takeout. Also, we have a growing number of local stores who have online stores if you have a hankering for some online shopping.
Get outside. This is a perfect time to go for a hike in Cowiche Canyon, check out the snowshoeing trails up at White Pass, go for a walk in your neighborhood, get your bike tuned and get on the Yakima Greenway.
Take care of our healthcare providers. Many of us have folks in our lives who are at the forefront of the pandemic, overseeing the public's worries, sniffles, the serious stuff, and the mundane things, too. Check in on them, buy them some ice cream, take out their trash, bake them something ya found on Salt and Stone.
Read and Listen to books. The Yakima Valley Libraries has ebooks and audiobooks available for online checkout for free!
Help your neighbors and parents with technology. Show them how to use Instacart, setup their accounts, walk them through an order. Practice video calls with them. Figure out if they have online access to talk to medical professionals through video, like telehealth through Regence Blue Shield. Help them download an audiobook from the library.
Lastly, here are some links we’ve found useful.
Pay attention to the CDC, the Yakima School District and Yakima Health District, the Washington State Department of Health, and the Employment Security Department.
Read what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say about how coronavirus is spread, and think about the most vulnerable in our communities.
Give Instacart a whirl for grocery shopping if you are at risk (your delivery people are sole proprietors and they shop at Safeway, Fred Meyer, and even Costco).
