5 Things to Do During the Shutdown

Every person and every small business are affected by the novel COVID-19 virus. How can we help each other now and through the recovery time to follow? By falling together instead of falling apart.

Circle of Caring:

Develop within your tribe, made up of your family, friends and neighbors in your area, a “Circle of Caring”. What is a Circle of Caring? It’s a place where you can come together virtually to share tips, ideas and laughs during this difficult time. If someone is more susceptible than others to contracting or suffering from the virus, such as your elderly neighbors, parents or grandparents, make sure to check on them regularly. Make the run to the grocery store and pharmacy for them. Help them order things online if necessary. If you found a good deal on meat or a resource for eggs, toilet paper and cleaning supplies, share it with each other. Pick a house that everyone knows and set it up as a trade center. An example might be, Mary has potatoes, but needs paper towels. Jane has extra paper towels but needs eggs. Adam has eggs but needs potatoes. Everybody can drop and pick-up their necessary items at a central location. Take care of each other!

Support your community:

We are all in this together! If you are fortunate enough to still have an income, make sure to spend it in your community. It’s the only way small businesses will survive. Order delivery from your favorite restaurants or get out of the house for a minute and pick-up curbside. Shop at the local butcher. Get your produce from a farmer’s market, a local market or directly from farmers. Buy your wine and booze locally, from the small liquor store on the corner or directly from the winery. Need a gift for someone, consider buying online from a local store that offers that service or at least support a mom and pop business. Consider buying a gift certificate for future use from your service providers – they need the money today. This is an important practice to start TODAY and carry on in the future. It will be up to all of us to rebuild our local communities when this is over.

Stay Connected:

It’s easy to become isolated during this time, when we can’t see our coworkers, visit with friends or even go out to dinner. It’s very important to stay connected with the people you care about, for your sanity and theirs. There are lots of things you can do. Pick up the phone and make a phone call. This has become a lost way of communication. Get creative and start having Virtual Happy Hour with friends and family. Grab a bottle of wine and some snacks and settle in for a great catch-up session. Facebook Messenger video works great if you don’t want to mess with setting up Zoom. There are lots of other companies that provide this technology as well. Meet a friend at your favorite restaurant. Order curbside when you get there and chat from your vehicles until the food arrives. Watch a movie together. There are several Apps out there that will help you do this. There are all kinds of things you can do to stay in touch, you just might need to use your imagination.

Stay Healthy:

This goes without saying…do what you need to do to stay healthy. If you are susceptible to COVID-19, stay in, end of story. If you need to be out an about, wash your hands regularly using the 20 second rule. Soap the top, bottom, between your fingers and under your nails. Don’t touch your face. Wipe down things you bring in with bleach water or wipes. Get plenty of rest. Drink lots of water. Eat your veggies and pistachios, which help strengthen your immune system. Take time to decompress from all the stress through meditation, yoga and/or exercise. Get outside, go for a walk, absorb some Vitamin D. Establish a healthy routine.

Manage Family Expectations:

Many families are home together, both parents may be working from home, one or both may have been laid off. he kids are home and probably have schooling that needs to be done and they are going to get bored. It’s a lot, all at once. Take a breath! Look at it as an experience to see what it would be like to home-school. Maybe you’ll find you like it. Maybe you’ll be so glad to get them out of the house when this is over. Either way, it’s ok. Take another breath. Make sure everyone is communicating and using their words. Make mealtime a family project. Everyone gets a responsibility. Find projects for the kids to do. Create a “honey-do” list for your partner. File for unemployment or an SBA loan. Take another breath. You are not alone; we are all in this together and all experiencing some level of the same challenges and concerns.

Now ask yourself, “Are you falling together, or falling apart”? If you are falling apart, pull it together and ask for help. We are all challenged. We all want to help each other as much as we can. Make the most of this down time. Take care of your friends and family. Support your community. Reach out to those you care about. Take care of yourself. Enjoy the family time while you can, because everyone will be back to their crazy schedules soon enough.

Be safe and be well!

Heart of the Desert is a working pistachio ranch and vineyard with four retail establishments in New Mexico. They are best known for their farm fresh pistachios and Award-Winning New Mexico wines. Each store offers wine and pistachio tastings. They offer worldwide shipping and produce attractive gourmet baskets that make great corporate and family gifts. The main store, on the ranch in Alamogordo, offers farm tours that showcases how pistachios are grown and processed as well as a stunning Tuscany themed patio that overlooks the groves and is available for weddings, private parties or enjoying a relaxing glass of wine.