789th Friday Blog Roundup
The manager of a grocery store in our town started an amazing Facebook account. She posts what they have in stock several times per day, letting people know when new trucks have come in and what time she thinks things will be on the shelves. If you are looking for a particular item, you can DM her and she’ll set it aside for you. She’s dropping off groceries for house-bound people who can’t do curbside pickup. And she posts news about opening or closing times or new policies for the store (such as low-capacity and a new line system).
But beyond all of that, she has become the town cheerleader. Her updates are funny, and she keep reminding us that we’ll get through this if we work together. She encourages people to reach out to neighbours and not take more than what they need. She is keeping us calm, so I look forward to her updates, even though we’re not shopping right now.
I get emotional talking about her because it’s such a small thing. It’s just a woman reminding us to smile and telling us that the toilet paper aisle is filled. But it’s so much more than that. I’ve been staying offline because there seems to be an incessant need to shit on everyone else’s thoughts and feelings right now. And she’s the opposite of that: In a sea of negativity, she’s a voice who is always upbeat, always positive, always supportive, even when it’s just to say that the supply truck didn’t arrive for the third day in a row.
I’ve thanked her personally, and I’ve thanked her publicly, but I want to do something bigger once all of this is done. Because she’s my Mister-Rogers-look-for-the-helpers right now, keeping us feeling like someone has our back when everything feels tumultuous and unknown. People like that are awesome.
*******
Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.
Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.
As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments in order to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.
*******
And now the blogs…
But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. In order to read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:
- “From the Front Lines” (Looking for My Silver Lining)
Okay, now my choices this week.
Infertile Phoenix feels like we’re all in separate realities; or, maybe just that everyone’s COVID-19 lens shows a different (but related) reality. Some people joke, some people are upset. She comments: “And it’s not unlike my experience with infertility. My family made light of it while the rest of society just assumed that, since I dreamed of raising children, I’d follow the norm and become a mom eventually, one way or another.” I agree—sometimes things just suck.
My Path to Mommyhood has a series of quick pandemic updates. I loved this little snapshot into life at the moment. From teaching from afar to the hard choices we’re making to follow the rules, I love hearing first-hand accounts of how people are processing. Thank G-d for blogs.
Lastly, speaking of blogs, I love it when people start writing again. A Half Baked Life has an update from her corner of the sofa. She writes, “What new hobbies are you cultivating, they ask? Old hobbies, I answer, under my breath. Anxiety. Long work days. Ignoring my kids. I feel unreasonably angry at people who are quilting and bread baking and learning to play the ukulele, at the same time as I feel deeply grateful for a job that lets me work remotely.” Yesssssss. To all of it. Plus she gives you a delicious-looking recipe in the end.
The roundup to the Roundup: Thankful for the upbeat, calm voices. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between April 3 – April 10) and not the blog’s main url. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week? Read the original open thread post here.
12 comments
this was a hard post for me today.
I’m not on FB because I have a bad ex who will use it to follow me around. so that means I’m missing things like this. no wonder I can’t find toilet paper or a single egg.
I am trying to learn ukulele. it is literally keeping me from killing myself. I have OCD and an anxiety disorder. and if you think this is hard, try it while trying to manage those two things. learning this is making me think that I may have a future.
I am in not one, not two, but 3 categories of vulnerable. if I get sick … well, I’m scared.
I will be baking bread because I had $40 to get us through 2 weeks. people were afraid of raw flour & had left a stack of it. I took one. we’ve now run out of bread. unfortunately, I only have one stick of butter left. more money coming soon, but in the meantime, hearing someone who is sneering at me baking bread? thanks.
E, you are dealing with serious challenges and being admirable and resourceful while doing so.
I doubt the quoted comment about ukulele/baking was in any way directed at you personally. I don’t know the situation of course…
People are dealing with what’s in front of them in different ways. Some people perhaps cannot concentrate well on anything during stress. For others, having a goal or task or anything at all to concentrate on is a sanity saver.
If you’re just bloody trying to survive, then do that. To hell with what anybody thinks.
E, I’m sending you so much love. I’m so sorry that you are struggling so hard and feeling so vulnerable (and not just feeling, KNOWING). I think there’s a huge difference between the doing of things because of “boredom” and “oodles of free time” and your experience of survival, both physical and mental. And I think it’s so hard to see all the posts about how this is really going to help everyone slow down and realize what’s important, when you are drowning and trying to keep head above water and it is not a kumbaya moment for you at all.
Anyway, I wanted to give you a virtual hug, and let you know that I see you and hear you and I hope it gets better. I also hope this helps for resources and doesn’t feel intrusive or condescending on my part, but I thought it might have resources that could help:
https://mhanational.org/covid19
I love your telling about the grocery store manager. How wonderful that there are people like her out there sharing goodness in so many ways.
{{{ e }}} I’m sorry you are feeling pressure from so many directions. I’m envious that you can bake bread and learn the ukelele, especially in light of all that is going on for you. The quote did say that her anger was unreasonable, and I don’t think she was actually putting down people who bake bread, quilt, and learn ukelele.
I can see why it might sting to read it, though, especially when nerves are raw. Abiding with you. I’m sorry it feels so hard at the moment.
E, I’ll add that if you read her post, she’s talking about this push that is out there to always be accomplishing things. Not the act of baking bread because you need to eat bread, but the people who are baking bread because they’re bored and looking for things to do. She is saying that she feels too busy and can’t participate in this idea that she is supposed to be filling every second of her day with achieving something new. So definitely not sneering at you for baking bread.
“What new hobbies are you cultivating, they ask? Old hobbies, I answer, under my breath. Anxiety. Long work days. Ignoring my kids. I feel unreasonably angry at people who are quilting and bread baking and learning to play the ukulele, at the same time as I feel deeply grateful for a job that lets me work remotely.”
OMG, this resonates with me so much! I sometimes wish I had the time and the emotional/mental bandwidth to be bored!
That’s lovely you have a person like that. Our grocery stores are all chainish, but people are posting tp-sightings on Nextdoor.
Thank you for the mention!
I really enjoyed reading about your grocery store manager. She became a bright spot in my day too. Thanks.
I liked reading Jody Day’s post this week, especially the stuff at the end about grief. https://gateway-women.com/oppressed-by-advice-all-over-again/
I’m so glad you have a store owner who is making this easier for you and all her customers. That’s lovely. The guys who own our favourite neighbourhood brunch place are becoming Fbk stars too. They’re posting one or two recipes, hints about how to make the perfect poached eggs, and today a silly photo. It really brightens our day, and makes us feel part of a community – their community, but one they’ve cultivated and given out so much love they’re getting it back.
I haven’t had an experience of poor reactions on Fbk at all at the moment. Sure, people gripe about those who are ignoring the restrictions, but not to anyone personally. There seems to be an outpouring of love and kindness, which is lovely. Of course, that’s much easier when you’re not under stress.
I hope e finds some peace, and manages to get bread (and butter) soon. Baking bread isn’t that easy – it must be harder under pressure, when it’s a necessity. E, sending you my best wishes.
I love your grocery lady, and that you referenced Mister Rogers’ “helpers.” It helps me so much to look for places whether people are coming together and helping during this crisis.
Thank you for including me! It’s so weird to think that we could be writing the primary sources of the future during this time in history.
With that, I loved Torthuil’s Day in the Life post for her thoughts on toilet paper, how her kids are dealing with isolation, and just what a day looks like start to finish for her. And I love the term “coronapocalypse.”
http://torthuiljourney.blogspot.com/2020/04/day-in-life-coronapocalypse-week-3.html?m=1
I also loved Mali’s post on balance, with an extra bonus of perspective: https://nokiddinginnz.blogspot.com/2020/04/no-kidding-2020-project-day-10-balance.html?m=1
Reading back in time, and feeling sad that my post was the wrong note for e … I was definitely not sneering. It’s more that I have been feeling this insane pressure to be “cheerily productive” in quarantine, while it’s seriously all I can manage to go to “work” every day and get around my house, even though I’m not on the front lines. Keep playing, e! I’m grateful for the music. <3
and … can we help get you some groceries? I’ve been able to do this for some other folks in need.