How’s everybody holding up?
Everyone I speak to is frightened, anxious and agitated about the future. We have no road map for this pandemic. But I think this much is clear.
We are permanently changed–physically, psychologically, financially, mentally.
Perhaps the way we were “doing” everything before was not ideal.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how I am changing my daily life. First of all, I stay close to home. I don’t run around unnecessarily, I don’t shop at 5 different grocery stores to get a little bit of everything for each person in my household.
Second, I’m not spending any money now on things that are throw-away. I’m not purchasing that cute top that I know will only last a season. I’m not buying earrings that go in and out of fashion like the wind. I’m using the fabric that I already own to make things other people need, instead of catering to my own whim and fancy.
Third, we are wasting less. Do we really need to use that many paper towels? Do we know when we will be able to get more? What about that food? Time to make something with what’s currently in the pantry or the fridge because going out for something else is not much of an option. We are eating home-cooking more.
Fourth, I am caring deeply, anxiously, and actively about others. My mind is constantly on healthcare workers, grocery clerks, truck drivers, mail delivery people, folks who keep the lights on and the water flowing and even the Internet bubbling and Netflix churning.
Of course, I am worried about all those who now have no income. Can they move their business online? Can the local plant shop or chocolate shop or quilt shop be nimble enough to move online and are we all willing to purchase online to keep our friends and neighbors employed?
What about restaurants? I don’t have the answer here, but I certainly think we should be able to order takeout. Have the days of crowded, chattering, noisy restaurants passed us by? Maybe not for everyone, but for those of us getting up in years or with health problems or compromised immune systems, the answer is yes.
What will the future look like? I think that’s the question that torments me the most. It almost certainly will not look like the past. As I said, we are permanently changed. And if we are not, then we will learn lessons the hardest way possible.
How about this paper device created by Chinese company Meituan? You can order takeout to eat at your desk, but every meal comes with this paper shield that protects your food from any droplets that might be shed by a passing stranger. I don’t know how I feel about that, but at least it’s the way China is starting to think and create, as they begin to reopen their economy VERY slowly.
The doctors are thinking that even after this first wave, the virus will head to the Southern hemisphere and then be back for round two next fall. That may or may not give us enough of a reprieve to prepare with equipment, masks, gowns gloves, respirators etc.
But for now, I am still creating masks for local nursing homes, assisted living centers and anyone who wants them at the moment. For the first time in my life, I ordered groceries for delivery. My area of the country has been identified as a growing hotspot for the virus. I have a husband who still must go in to work three days a week.
May we learn how to live a little better together on this planet. May we learn to care for one another. May we learn how absolutely interdependent we are on one another.
And may we all be well.
Greetings! Are you selling your face masks for individuals and if so is there a way to order them online? Also is there a way to download the pattern you are using. I might try to make them on my own. Thank you and I wish you well during these times.
Hi, I have been truly on the fence about face masks. A close friend of mine is an Infection Control consultant in NYC and she tells me that cloth facemasks are basically worse than nothing. They don’t keep out coronavirus, and often give a false sense of security. There’s no policies for cleaning them. Also, people tend to touch their faces more when wearing a mask. That said, nursing homes have been requesting these, as well as veterinary offices. It allows them to donate their higher level equipment (like surgical and N95 masks)to COVID wards. So, I do not sell these online. However, I’d be happy to show you how to make them in my next blog post. All it takes is some fabric (not fatquarters). I used white for mine, so that the fabric could be bleached.
Ah. Yeah, I’ve read that the virus is so small that it get through most materials. Thank you for the information. I look forward to your next blog post since I think this will be a nice project to give a try.