For the next couple of issues I will be sharing stories of my fellow Creekers. I asked a couple dozen people these four questions:
1. Are you doing work differently now?
2. Have you found a way to help, be it your friends, neighbours or frontline workers?
3. How do you think we can take this opportunity to change our future?
4. Is there anything else you would like to share with your fellow Creekers?
N.W. (Sales)
Currently on EI and planning on returning to my job when sensible. Helping isolated neighbours by shopping for them. Our neighbourhood has a Facebook page where we can help each other, I started baking and sharing it around. This has showed us that we can do amazing things if we have to. One would hope we can transition to a sustainable future and save the planet. Being an officer at Roberts Creek Fire, I would like to ask our community to make sensible decisions if having a small campfire. Anything bigger just puts unnecessary strain on everyone. Also be kind! Be nice! We are all in this together.
L.S. (Retired)
When the crisis started we had just boarded a cruise ship for a 21-day cruise. When we left Canada on Feb. 24, there were no cases in South America and no travel advisories. It took five weeks to get home after being turned away from ports in Chile, Peru and Panama, finally arriving in Miami and flying home on March 30. We have never been more grateful to get home and appreciate living in Roberts Creek. We have been in quarantine and beneficiaries of our neighbours’ boundless kindness. We arrived home to fresh flowers, and have calls almost daily with offers to help and had our groceries, homemade soup, bread and cookies and even Sharkey’s delivered. We need to be better stewards of our planet, need less, should always buy local if we can, we should stay in touch with our loved ones more, give back more, volunteer more, be kinder and count our blessings as we live in heaven on earth!
S.B. (Horticulturist)
I’m going to work but my hours are better (four days a week). No visitors or volunteers are allowed in. I’m focusing on the vegetable garden this year. All produce we grow each year goes to the food bank. I’m making fabric masks for the respiratory clinic in my spare time. Stay home and keep howling.
B.P. (Business Owner)
Everything changed! I had to close my salon temporarily (government order). We have started a podcast on Spotify called Fade N Dye, and a Facebook group where we inform clients and other business owners about what’s going on, where we exchange news updates and offer help. We made a YouTube channel called Fade N Dye to give people tutorials on how to handle their hair. I think this is a great time to work on ourselves, work on being patient, loving and caring and learn to come together as a community and support each other. I am extremely excited to see all the Creekers in the heart of Roberts Creek again and I want to thank everyone for such amazing support through this time. We miss everyone dearly.
A.M. (Festival Director)
I work alone from home so nothing new there. Meetings were my human real time so that is non-existent now. The direction of work is definitely different. As a household we do the things that many are doing – staying home, ordering groceries for delivery and minimizing any public interaction. I make extra effort to connect, as that is fundamental right now. It’s easy for people to get really far into their own heads and having others “around” is important. Working in The Arts is countless hours in virtual round-tables with other festival directors/producers looking for ways to keep afloat and support artists/musicians. We’re all in this together and must make mass strides to actually treat each other that way. We’ll get through this together and keep on Rogueing in the free world Creekers!
Let me know your story, [email protected]
