I’ll admit it, I live in a bubble. I moved 13 times before I was in the 8th grade…When I landed in Mecklenburg County in 1982, I put down deep roots. I love my bubble. It consists of the people I serve and those that serve me in the small business community…my family…my friends that are like sisters to me…and, of course, my Big Spoon.
I’m a rainbow and butterflies girl. I believe in people. I believe people want to help other people. I’ve spent my entire adult life learning ways to bring people together, to help people feel better, and to help people be healthier. I have NEVER EVER EVER come across a technique or solution to ANY problem that involved months of isolation. Not AIDS in the 1980s, not SARS in the 2000s, not Swine Flu in 2010, not MERS in 2012, not Ebola in 2014, not Zika in 2015, not even the seasonal Flu of 2018 that killed over 95,000 people in the U.S. (according to the CDC).
In fact, the VAST majority of my training and experience has been about the negative effects of isolation. Many of you know that Marcy’s daughter, Jessica, tested positive for COVID-19 almost 3 months ago. She recovered at home within about a week but could not return to work until she had 2 negative test results in a row. She was tested a total of 9 times over 8 weeks with 5 of those resulted as Positive and 4 resulted as negative…and she finally got the required 2 negatives in a row this past week. According to Jessica, the worst thing she had to deal with…worse than the symptoms….worse than the negative attention she received by others in the community (just for having the disease)…worse, by far, than anything else she had to overcome, was the isolation.
How many times have you looked at what is happening…listened to what the media is telling you…then looked out the window at a beautiful Spring day and thought, “this doesn’t make sense”?
So, flash forward to Wednesday, May 20, at about 6:30pm…
I was certain we were finally getting the green light to open everything back up…we had already begun preparations. Then, the Governor said pools could open…restaurants could open with 10 people (not from the same household) sitting together, shoulder to shoulder, without masks…tattoo parlors and salons…massage therapists…but, NOT gyms/fitness-centers/health-clubs.
I…….was……….devastated.
In the past 30 years of helping people, I have never felt like I was hurting anyone. I never second guessed if I was doing the right thing…until this virus. Fear of judgment and well, just fear, crushes everything…including my spirit as a small business owner. This virus has made me second guess all I have ever known to be true about helping people feel happier, healthier, smarter, and more connected. Was it possible that everything I’d learned was wrong???
I’d been hiding my actions for fear of judgment…and to protect my members from judgement. Even though we had NOT done anything wrong (meeting in parks or driveways with appropriate physical distance). I have always been such a rule follower my whole life…always trusting the rule makers to do the right thing.
I came to Big Spoon’s office on Wednesday after Cooper’s announcement and cried. The next day I went home and my son saw me fall apart (then he baked me chocolate chip cookies and I felt better).
Big Spoon, lost even more sleep than I did, worrying about me. I believe he can fix anything and always knows what we should do…but, he’ll tell you that he only does one thing very very well…and that’s Google-ing.
He printed off reams of articles from CDC and WHO on the virus…he pulled data from government websites. We systematically went over everything that is known, observed, and verified about this virus and separated it from what is theorized or detected only under specific lab conditions, but not yet observed in the almost 6 million cases that have tested positive. And, as a result…
I am no longer scared.
I’m not afraid of the virus. I’m not afraid that I could be doing something to harm any of you. I’m confident that everything I’ve learned over my lifetime is right and valid. I’m not going to leave the health and well-being of the people in my bubble to politicians that are NOT in our bubble.
I am afraid that if I do nothing for 5 more weeks, those in my bubble that I love will continue to suffer…more than they have already.
YOU, reading this right now….I’m talking to YOU! You wouldn’t have received this if you weren’t in my bubble.
If you are ready to let go of the FEAR…and UNCERTAINTY…and ISOLATION…and SOCIAL MEDIA…then I am here for YOU.
It’s time to get back to strengthening our bodies, our minds, and our immune system.
It’s time to put our focus on Health, Wellness, and Healing…while minimizing our risk.
BBS is opening June 1 for Massage Therapy and Therapeutic Services!
Members will have priority…but non-members can schedule! Schedulicity will be opened up soon for booking.
BBS will continue leading classes outside in the community (weather permitting)…but, the BBS Group Exercise space will remain closed to the public…for now. However, we will be scheduling meetings for members that allow for physical distancing and that are within group gathering limits…in order to prepare for opening the Group Exercise space to the public…and, these meetings may be choreographed (more details will go out to members this weekend).
NOTE: Big Spoon will be putting up a post that summarizes the information he gathered.
I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to seeing everyone! I’ll have more details going out regarding our modifications to comply with the current Executive Order…but, as a massage therapist, I’ve been following protocols for 15 years to prevent the spread of diseases that are a lot more infectious and lethal than COVID-19…ask the guy helping you at Lowe’s if he can say the same…
#FlattenTheFear
#GirlBoss
#ChoreographedMeeting #NotGroupExercise
Yours in Health (I’m back, Baby!!)
Christy
