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Hoagland reminds us that we are the
lucky ones. We are sheltering in place on the
Oregon Coast. We have some of the world’s
most beautiful social distancing locations,
our beaches and forests. State and City beach
parking lots, hiking trails and facilities are
blocked off, but locals are still able to access
our beaches and find new areas of the forest
to explore. There has been some confusion
about getting outside, however, city officials
assure us that locals are allowed to avail
ourselves of beaches and forests, as long as
we keep a safe, six-foot distance and don’t
block streets.
We spoke with a few retirees whose lives
hadn’t changed much; they make fewer
store runs and are having a hard time with
the library closure. Those without e-readers
are re-reading books in their personal
collections, some for the “umpteenth time.”
Physical books aren’t the only thing seeing
a comeback, adults and children alike are
finding pen pals from around the world in
social media groups. Good old snail mail
is keeping us in contact. Families and new
friends alike appreciate getting a handwritten
letter or card in the mailbox. As we distance
ourselves physically we crave connectivity
and communication; writing each other is a
rewarding way to keep up to date.
Baking shelves at the grocery store are
being hit hard as people try to stay busy or
take a break from working at home. One
amateur baker we spoke with had gone
through four bags of flour this month as she
tried new recipes for coffee cake, streusel
and banana muffins. Stress eating, meet
stress cooking. People are getting creative
in the kitchen and outside. Nature walks,
gardening, art and crafts are just a few
things helping people fill the hours. Parents
are reconnecting with their children and
teaching them things they wouldn’t have
learned in the classroom. One parent said
it was especially rewarding to bring her son
along for a few of her culinary adventures.
He recently hand-rolled pasta for the family
meal and excitedly proclaimed to his teacher
via Zoom the next day, that it was “science
and math!” For those that have run out of
creative ideas for your little ones, the Lincoln
City Cultural Center is offering “Creative
Quarantine” kits every Thursday. Visual
Arts Director Krista Eddy puts together
instructions and supplies that can be picked
up in the cultural center parking lot. She
then posts how-to videos on the center’s
Facebook page.
Retiree Dallas Baird said she hopes the
pandemic encourages people to be gentle
with themselves and with others.
“I hope we all learn some compassion” she
said, “and realize that no matter who we are
LEFT: Lincoln City resident Terry Sissel peers out of her window during week five of social distancing. RIGHT: Lincoln City’s Lincoln statue is adorned with
his own PPE, as is his horse. TOP: Closed signs line the parking lot of Lincoln City beaches, like the one pictured at Roads End
or what we think, we share the same time
and space.”
We are being inundated with inspirational
posts, motivational quotes and being urged
to do, learn and create. Many we talked
to are on a roller coaster of emotion. One
day you stare out the window at nothing,
wondering how you will make it through
one more week. Other days you are checking
projects of the to-do list, making a new
recipe and scrubbing the floor boards. With
much of our interaction coming from online
and social media content we are feeling the
pressure to perform; even more now than
before the pandemic. Remember this though,
if you aren’t feeling up to crawling out of bed,
or getting off the couch, you aren’t alone. It
is OK to not be OK during these turbulent
times. None of us know how to navigate this
situation, as nothing like this has happened
in our lifetime. Garden or don’t. Cook or
order in. Hike or binge-watch Netflix. There
is no right way to handle this, so we all get
to do it our way. What we have heard time
and again as we asked our questions is that
people are hopeful that we will come out
of this better than we went in. That we will
create new habits, learn from each other and
gain a stronger connection around the globe
as we fight through a global pandemic. We
are all humans, doing our small part to keep
each other healthy. We are staying apart now,
so that we can come together again soon.
•••
In addition to being professional
photographers, Krista Melone and Rachel Baird
are co-owners of Tah•Lume Curiosities & Gifts,
which offers online commerce at www.tahlume.
com.
oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • May 1, 2020 • 13