Here’s some more tips to help keep you and those closest to you safe and healthy during the coming weeks. Lots of love, Y’all — more free info coming being added as quickly as possible, and my Patreon site should be up and on line in the next week or so. In the meantime, here’s some simple common-sense things you can do to support the people in your life.

• Give your neighbors a call and check in.
  • See if they have what they need in terms of food and medicine, and if you are able bodied and younger, offer that you are available by phone if they need something.
  • If you don’t know your closest neighbors phone numbers, maybe now is a good time to go for a walk, give a knock on their door, take a few big steps back, and say, “Hello! I’m your neighbor from a few houses down. How are you doing? Here’s my number in case you need anything.”
  • If this feels intimidating or silly, remind yourself that this is an unprecedented situation. An extra connection point with a neighbor, especially for more isolated or less tech-savvy people, could be the difference between life and death.
• Reach out to friends and family, near and far, and ask them how they are doing and if they need anything, even just to talk.
  • People deeply appreciate a friendly call in these hectic and stressful times.
  • Are there people in your life who don’t have a home computer, or are still primarily using a landline? They might be feeling extra isolated right now. Give them a call and leave them a message or say hi.
• Are there people in your life with valuable skills who recently lost their jobs? If you are financially stable for the time being, consider finding something useful for your friends who have been hit harder to do and paying them their normal rate to do it.
  • Have a favorite bartender, massage therapist, or yoga teacher who you are used to seeing every week? Maybe they can give you a remote session.
  • Does your organization or business need to do a quick pivot to adjust to the current situation? Consider hiring people you know with tech skills to make the shift happen quickly, and to keep them employed.
  • Now is the time for spring pruning and landscaping. Consider hiring friends who are suddenly out of the job to help you get ready for the gardening season — weeding, raking, and moving compost or wood chips is easy work that most people can do well. It can be done outside, 6-10 feet apart. And it will help you and them to be more food secure, while also keeping money flowing into their lives.

Remember: We are all in this together. A neighborhood of households that are connected and mutually supportive is better and safer for everyone, no matter your age or income level.