A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.

Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh

As a young adult, I think choosing community is such a big part of adulting. After graduation and starting my career, I have had the opportunity to meet so many people I share this city with. Everyone has a different living situation and community concerns; but I was just enjoying my longer sleep schedule!

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Eventually, it dawned on me: I want more than just work, eat, sleep, and repeat. I live in this city and I want to start making a difference in my community.

This realization inspired me to start volunteering as a dog walker at the Nevada Humane Society, setting up regular coffee dates with friends, and going back to school to continue to learn and network.

Under the current circumstances; the COVID-19 pandemic, it may seem hard to choose community; but that is not true! Here are just 3 ways you can choose community during this global pandemic:

#1. Stay In Doors

If you do not absolutely need to leave your home, then don’t. The news is full of people ignoring the shelter in place orders. Don’t believe me? Crowds packed California beaches despite shelter in place order.

This is because people have decided that the situation is not as serious as the government is making it or that the disease is not that serious if caught. It is sad that this needs to be said, but IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!

The government is asking you to practice social distancing to control the situation. Even though some individuals show simplistic symptoms, some individuals are dying. The virus is affecting people differently, and social distancing is the most effective way to isolate the spread of the virus. Keep your community in your mind before you leave your home!

#2. Be Kind

This pandemic has caused some serious hysteria and also the loss of respect/manners. There is no better example than our local grocery stores. Grocery stores have been hit the hardest during this pandemic. People are overloading their carts to stockpile their homes. This action has caused families to go without. It also has resulted in an extraordinary amount of physical altercations within grocery stores.

During this time, kindness is something that is desperately needed from all of us! Be thoughtful in the number of products you are buying! Stockpiling will only cause stress and hunger within your community. Also, show gratitude for the individuals that are still working during this time to keep the shelves full of food and their stores open; this goes for small businesses and restaurants as well.

#3. Stay Connected

Social distancing may have stopped your ability to meet up with family, friends, coworkers, or other acquaintances; but we live in the SOCIAL AGE! We can virtually meet up with anyone we really want! Set aside time during your day to communicate with others via phone, email, or video! We can continue to stay connected while being physically apart.

One of the best examples I have seen on communities staying connected are the videos of various communities staying connected through song! If you haven’t seen some of these videos, check out Matt Clinch’s article “Italians are singing songs from their windows to boost morale during corona-virus lock down”, which has a couple clips of this amazing phenomenon.

Choose Community!

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Consider the 3 actions provided in your start to choosing community! Then, start thinking of ways you can choose community after this pandemic. As I mentioned, I volunteer as a dog walker for my local humane society. It brings me such happiness and purpose!

Until next time, stay safe & be kind…