Last night I had another video call with my family in the Maritimes to see how they have been holding up during the quarantine. Prior to COVID-19 we didn’t do this all that often, but with a swift turn of events around the world we’ve become like the Brady Bunch opening, where we all appear in those square boxes! We wanted to check in, not just to see if we were all doing OK, but if our children, family members and friends were doing well too.
We all have stories to tell each other during this crisis but in the face of an overwhelming tidal wave of bad news, what we need most right now are daily reminders of our better human selves, so that each of us can rise to this challenge. There are thousands of inspiring, creative community responses to this pandemic and these stories must be told and shared. In this issue of Seaside we have discovered some of these and just how effectively our community is responding to coronavirus. We’re learning great lessons about how communities can take charge and build resilience, connection and strength.
Seaside Magazine has had many “firsts” and this month is one of them as we decided to combine our May and June issues into one. Things in late March were very unpredictable. We felt it would give us a better opportunity to compile more timely stories, and give our advertisers a bit of a break on advertising costs in this very difficult time. Be sure to visit (https://seasidemagazine.ca/covid-update-local-business-directory/) as we have added an online directory that includes hours of operation and other important information about local businesses. It will be updated as much as necessary, allowing our readers to stay well informed of the local status at all times.
I imagine you – like many of us – are anxious, and made more so by our necessary physical isolation. We are all part of a larger community of people who believe that another, better world can and will emerge; there has to be. If we all hold that vision together or imagine a big virtual hug, we can get there, one day at a time.
Sending love and strength to our beautiful community and a big thank you to all our frontline and essential workers … we could not do this without you!
