I believe as we go through this pandemic, self-care is very important. One thing I do is go for a walk. Even before the pandemic, walking every day has been as important to me as oxygen.
When we began this pandemic, restrictions and directives were put in place to keep us safe. If we follow these directives and maintain social distancing, going for a walk is allowed.
For someone like me who has depended on daily walks for more than 40 years, I was relieved. For those who have taken up walking or going for a bike ride for their self-care since this pandemic, it has been a Godsend I’m sure. For those who have children who have energy that would generally be burnt off on a play structure or park, I’m sure walking and biking through your neighborhood has helped make for a better night’s sleep.
Early into this pandemic, our neighbors started to decorate their windows and homes to help make our walks more interesting. Windows were painted and filled with stuffed animals. Christmas decorations came back out. Chalk art in driveways changed after each rainfall. One house on Pearl Street posts a joke every day on a chalkboard. I began to take my phone with me to take pictures of daily changes to my walking route. I began to think of which Christmas decoration I would put in my front window every other day.
I do some of my best thinking while I am walking or like many of us, in the middle of the night. Recently, I woke up and after I figured out how many hours I had until I actually had to get up – I started thinking of which Santa I was going to put in my window tomorrow; and it’s really too late to go for a walk right now; and what is the joke of the day going to be tomorrow on Pearl Street. Then I thought “wouldn’t it be awesome if everyone decorated their windows and shared the same message?” I also thought, “It’s 3am, I can’t call anyone.”
The next morning though, I contacted Shaun Wright at YourTV Smiths Falls who is the producer of the FYI Show that I host. We have a great partnership with Hometown News and Shaun called Trish Krotki. We created the Community Strong poster. And when I say “we”, I just couldn’t sleep one night… the rubber hit the road when Shaun, Trish and Tara worked together and created the poster.
We are “Community Strong.” We see it in our frontline workers, our first responders, our families, friends, neighbors and even in the people we haven’t met yet. We thank you for everything you do as we go through this pandemic journey together.
Version one. 
Version two.
Display this poster (version one, version two) in your windows, front doors, offices, anywhere to show your gratitude to our front line workers. And when this is over, put this poster in an album or file. In years to come, you can pull it out and say, “I remember this pandemic journey.”
We will get through this practicing social distancing, washing our hands, wearing a mask, staying home and following other directives so we stay safe and healthy. We will do this together while being apart. We will be kind. We are “Community Strong.” That’s what I am going to remember.
Article by Kathy Botham
