Community During Crisis
Hey guys! Isla here. A lot has happened since I last wrote. Abbie and I were just getting settled in when all of a sudden … covid 19. I bet we all can relate to the fear, anxiety, stress and emotion around all that is happening. How are you holding up? Lucky for me, I have my sweet Abbie girl. If it wasn’t for her I would be pretty lonely. But the truth is, I do have a wonderful family and community of friends that are checking on me. If you read my last blog from February, you know I was ready to meet people. Being new in town and single, I wanted to make new friends and I had expressed that I was going to do this by finding a church home and joining a small group. Small groups are like bible study groups. We meet in homes and read the word together, we are drawing closer to Jesus but also each other in friendship and fellowship. So for the last 5 weeks or so, I have made some new friends through a church small group. It is a singles group … (not to meet someone to date) but just for other singles to gather together. I guess it is possible for me to meet my husband this way, but that’s not quite the goal of the group. You get my drift! Anyhoo, I have made some great friends this way, we haven’t been able to meet in person due to shelter in orders but we have connected via zoom, facetime and just over the phone. It’s been fun getting to know new people and making friends. This whole pandemic has made me realize how important community really is. I was already an advocate for it, but this just solidifies it for me. Community is essential!!!
How are you enjoying community right now? Is it through zoom with friends and family? Facetime? What’s app? Google Hangout? Or good ol over the phone? If you are not connecting, please do. Find at least one person to reach out to. If you really can’t think of anyone, I urge you to contact a local Christian church and I promise you, they would be happy to connect you to a life group in your area!
Establishing Rhythms
Being on stay at home orders has made me think a lot about my daily routine. Whenever change happens, we are forced to create new routines or rhythms. This is definitely one of those moments. For Abbie, this is just heaven for her! She gets me everyday, all day! Isn’t that every pups dream? But the reality is, we still have jobs to maintain and though I love being with my Abbie girl, I still make sure to set some hours without distraction for work. Our routine is typically, coffee and stroll around the block … the stroll is mostly for Abbie, however, I like getting out to say hi to neighbors since I am still very new in town. Everyone is respecting social distancing rules but also people are more friendly right now. That’s a good thing! After we return, I let Abbie play and chill in the backyard while I hammer out my morning work for a few hours. It is important to note that before I dive into “work, work” I start off with my morning bible/journal time and prayer/worship time. Then, it’s work work time. About 1pm, it’s lunchtime. We have been doing lunch in the backyard unless it’s raining and every now and then, I will facetime, zoom or call a friend or family member for a quick hello. Then it’s back to work for the afternoon and Abbie is usually getting her nap in near my feet. Then, we make it out for a late afternoon jog. Then after I have showered, a quick and easy but healthy dinner. Okay well not healthy all the time, but I try to be healthy most of the time. After 5 weeks now of quarantine, we adjusted quite well however our routine took about two weeks to get right. How have you been adjusting? What routines and rhythms do you have in place? If you are looking for some tips here are some basic things you want to incorporate and you can see these in my daily routine:
- Soul & Self Care
- Health and Fitness
- Hobbies and Skills
- Community and Family
Soul and Self Care is a combination of what we need to do to rest our mind, body and soul. For me, my faith is my soul care. This includes, prayer, listening to worship music, reading the word or journaling. My soul is also rejuvenated by things like taking a morning walk, writing for fun or even sometimes organizing. My self care comes from my resting. I do this by taking breaks from work and spending extra time with Abbie or reaching out to a friend for a talk. Sometimes, it’s an afternoon nap. I wish I had better rhythms of rest on a regular basis but this quarantine is really getting me to slow down. I hope you are too!
Health and Fitness is a focus of mine for sure. I have put on a quarantine five so far, so from here on out, I am trying to watch closely on how much quarantine “bad snacking” I am doing. This is a great time to learn some new recipes, try meals you never had time for before. Good nutrition is so key! Exercise goes hand in hand with good nutrition. Walks, jogs, hikes and my regular at home workouts are on constant rotation. Don’t get me wrong, Abbie and I have lazy days, but she usually gets me to at least take her out for our morning walk. Enjoy big workout days, medium days and light workout days! I have realized it doesn’t always have to be so big, just takes a little physical activity to keep us healthy!
For Hobbies and Skills, it is the perfect time to try new things or to pick up a hobby you love but have not had time for. For me, it’s been baking! I tried baking a cake for the first time and it was pretty good. I even made cupcakes too! Abbie would agree that they were really good!
I also really like gardening and since I have a front and backyard, I will be getting to work on my yard soon. I have been so inspired by some of my neighbors and the frontyard landscaping I see during my strolls in the morning. It’s definitely inspiring me! What new skills are you picking up during quarantine? I would love to hear! Add a comment and let me know.
Community and Family I have already hit on that towards the beginning. I hope this list of rhythms helps for you to able to look at your quarantine life and see if there is anything you want to try and focus on. Maybe there are some negative habits you need to break yourself from? Finding something positive and new to focus on can help you do that. Remember we won’t ever get this time back, so we need to make the most of it!
Well friends, I think that’s all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed this blog, if would like to read about the journey to finding our home. Please click here. Remember stay safe and stay home! In this together.
Until next time friends!
Isla