COVID-19: Our Thoughts, Feelings and Plans

Hi! So it’s been a hot minute since our last post. Even though I found myself having more time at home with businesses and parks closing their doors and our governor ordering a shelter in place, I didn’t really want to write a blog post. I didn’t know what to write. The world is going through a lot right now and I know it is stressful and I know things are scary. My heart truly goes out to all those affected. 

I ultimately decided to write this post for a couple reasons. Primarily, I wanted to give our readers a few ideas on how to help during the COVID-19 pandemic and also a few ideas on what to do during your time indoors. I also wanted to share that you are not alone during this time and your thoughts and feelings are valid. We are all in this together! Let’s stay safe, be considerate of others and help flatten the curve!

I have a lot of mixed emotions.

These past few months have been really weird. Social distancing, working from home, homeschooling etc is going to be a really big adjustment for many. Zach normally works from home but I work in a field where working from home is not really an option. But of course in times like these I’ve had to transition to teleworking. This is completely new for me and honestly I feel pretty weird about it. I still have co-workers and colleagues who have to go into the office and I guess I feel guilty about that. I wish we could all share the burden, especially when I know some of those deemed mission-essential have families or have loved ones that are considered high risk. I just wish I could do more.

I’m an introvert. When I first started hearing about social distancing I really wasn’t upset about it. In a way I was a little excited. Finally! My extrovert friends will have to stay in too. This was my initial thought. But at the start I still saw people going out, visiting parks, leaving for trips, exploring, and doing all the things. I started to get really bad FOMO. I am definitely one for playing by the rules and it upset me that so many others were ignoring social distancing guidelines or shelter in place orders. Was I doing something wrong?

I had to keep reminding myself that in order to keep my family and my loved ones safe, the most important thing to do is play by the rules and listen to our government officials, even though so many others will ignore them. Whether we like it or not this is our new normal. In order for us to all stay safe, we need to do our part, stay at home and try to flatten the curve. 

During this pandemic we’ve seen a lot of people at their worst. We’ve also seen a lot of businesses ordered to close and I’ve seen friends lose their jobs. There is so much uncertainty right now. On the other hand, I’ve also seen so many positive things come out of this pandemic. I’ve seen so many communities come together to raise funds, collect supplies, donate their time and resources, etc. We will get through this.

Staying at home…the positives!

Staying at home is not the end of the world. If you can, really try to just put your life on pause for a few weeks. There really are so many things you can do while social distancing! Below are a few ideas we came up with.

1. Try a new recipe. One thing we’ve been doing to avoid going to the store more than necessary is creating a menu or meal idea list for the week. It helps us stay organized, gives us something to look forward to, and ensures we are using up what we have in the refrigerator/pantry! This means we have been getting a little creative in the kitchen! Zach and I really like to cook. Now that we have a bigger kitchen, we have more space to really get creative. This week we are making a vegetarian enchilada dish and I have plans to make a healthy(ish) carrot cake for Easter. Yum!
2. Teach your dog a new trick. Duke literally knows like 2 tricks, lol. I want to work on training with him and show him a few new tricks. We are still working on “hold” with Navy where she holds something in her mouth on command. There are a ton of free resources online for trick training with your dog. We even have a video on our YouTube channel to teach your dog how to kiss!
3. Spring cleaning. Now is the perfect time to get ahead on that chore list and get into some spring cleaning! It’s been raining quite a bit here lately and with rain comes mud, and with mud comes muddy paw prints throughout the house. Needless to say, our steam mop is on standby for daily cleaning! Stay tuned for a blog post about spring cleaning with dogs.
4. Go for a walk. If you live in an area where this is feasible, take your dog for a long walk! Explore someplace new. Be sure to adhere to your state and local guidelines and practice social distancing on walks.
5. Shout out a local business. Do you have a local small business that you love? Now is a great time to shout them out! 
6. Order takeout from a new local restaurant. One of our New Year resolutions was to not eat out as much, but we are making an exception given the current events and using this time to try delivery from a few new restaurants.
7. Get ahead on birthday, anniversary and holiday presents. A great way to support your favorite small shop is to order gift cards or place orders (only if the shop is still open) for goods or services.
8. Reorganize a drawer or closet. Let’s all do the Marie Kondo method and organize our homes and clear out the clutter. I think we are going to finally unpack a few of our boxes from the move.
9. Get started on a home project. Now is such a great time to get a project done on your home or apartment. I know we have a ton of work planned on the house and the yard-it is a little overwhelming! The biggest thing we are working on is our yard. We also want to paint the interior of our garage!
10. Do your taxes. Yes I know the tax deadline was extended, but why wait? Why not do your taxes now! 

How can you help out?

We touched on this a bit already, but anyone can help out during this time. Here are a few ways on how to help others during COVID-19.

1. Respect shelter in place guidelines. Encourage others to do the same!
2. Don’t hoard. Take what you need at stores, do not hoard items!
3. Support small businesses. Buy gift cards for later, reschedule your appointments rather than cancel them, and tip!
4. Donate to a local food bank. Explore this website to find a food bank near you.
5. Give to a nonprofit. We’ve been checking our local community’s reddit thread to find local charities and nonprofits to support.
6. Check in on eachother! Give your family and friends a call to see how they are doing.

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Thanks for reading! Stay happy and healthy and BE SAFE! Please remember, if you need anyone to just talk to, our Instagram DMs are always open. Do not hesitate to reach out.

Let’s spread some positivity! Do you have any tips on how to help others during COVID-19? What are your plans for social distancing? Let me know in a comment below!