Surreal.

That is a word I have used often in the last few days. I absolutely cannot believe how drastically life has changed in such a short amount of time!

Since last Friday my family has been mostly hunkered down in our home. We realized late last week how serious this pandemic was and knew it was time to be safe and not sorry, especially with Wyatt being a Type 1 Diabetic. Any illness puts him at a greater risk.

I would strongly urge everyone to practice social distancing and stay home as much as possible. This is by far the best thing we can do protect one another.

With that said, social distancing DOES NOT mean being socially distant! Here’s what I mean by that…

We need COMMUNITY now more than ever! We might not be able to physically gather in one spot, be able to have coffee with a dear friend, meet with our colleagues in person, or let our kids gather for a play date, but that DOES NOT mean we can’t maintain community and friendship!

Now is the time to find new ways to connect with your friends and family, it is NOT the time to cut off communication and try to do life alone. That is only going to lead to more problems, such as depression, a complete feeling of isolation, increased anxiety, etc.

We can all help maintain our community and help each other during this unprecedented time in our history by taking the time to check on one another. Here are some simple ideas –

1. Make it a point to reach out to at least one family member or friend per day just to say hi and see how they are doing. A simple text or call goes a long way towards decreasing your feelings of isolation and sadness. It could also be exactly the lift your loved one needs if they are having a tough time.
2. Have a virtual get together. Have a coffee or lunch date with a friend via FaceTime or Skype! It will give you a chance to see their face and feel even more connected than you would over a phone call or text message.
3. Host a virtual play date. Get your kids together on FaceTime or Skype so they can play. They could build legos together, play superheroes, have a virtual tea party, etc.

These times are tough and can be really dark for all of us if we don’t take the time to band together. Choose love today. Choose to stay in community even though it looks completely different than ever before.

We WILL get through this, but we have to stick together.