To say we are living in unusual times is an understatement. It is hard to say if any of us could have imagined our planet shift as it has these past four months. We are thankful for our small Island community and the cohesive response that has kept our Island relatively safe from the onslaught of COVID-19.
The word “essential” has taken on a richer meaning. While many of us hunkered down, we watched our friends, family, and neighbors go to work at supermarkets, gas stations, hospitals, newspapers. We’ve watched teachers (and parents) teach classes online. Postal workers, shippers, truckers, and the police, EMT’s and fire departments kept us connected, supplied, and safe, without complaint. A handful of restaurants muscled through late winter and early spring, providing welcome treats.
The Island’s only feed store, SBS, offered livestock and pet feed, but also vegetable seeds, compost, baby chicks, soil enhancers, fencing, and all gardeners’ and farmers’ needs for the long-time gardeners or those newly inspired to be more sustainable. All those who are essential not only had to power through but also needed to reinvent how they did their jobs or ran their businesses, no small achievement at all.
Summer has finally arrived, in time to lift our spirits and push us cautiously into a world forever changed, ideally with a new appreciation for time with loved ones (whether we were with them or missed them dearly from afar). As with any birth (or maybe rebirth), the farmers and fishermen, the season, and the Island did what comes naturally. We know many of us have an appreciation for quiet walks, for stillness in our everyday world, for slowing down and powering off, and maybe a newfound contentment with what we have, instead of what we want.
And we have a gratitude for those who kept us fed, filling us and our families and friends with joy, connection, and calm.
With optimism, we dive into summer.
Tina Miller and Jamie Kageleiry
