Sunday, April 19, 2020

Coping in the Time of COVID-19 -- Kaitlin Hines-Vargas

Updates from Kaitlin


While my quarantine began as an early effort (March 12) to avoid public transit as someone with an autoimmune condition, the rest of the city quickly hunkered down with me.  I'm lucky enough to still be working in my job as a Grant Writer for a local nonprofit, and have spent a lot of time balancing work, artistic practice, and the love of my husband, bunny, and cat -- all in a small space.

Here are some of the things I've been doing to live my best life indoors:

1.  I filled out the census -- it was an easy online completion, and I was happy to get information to the government that will inform essential services in my area.

2. I quicklyyy reevaluated my dance practices and tried to find a variety of ways to keep myself active that challenged me and was fun.
  a.  I started by practicing with my old go-to instructional dance DVDs and appreciating the stylistic differences of my favorite dancers.
  b.  I found instructors I used to work with who moved away, and have purchased videos and attended online class with them -- it's a great way to support people you've lost a connection with, like my favorite Pilates teacher!
c.  I signed up for a 2-week dance fitness challenge that keeps in line with my trying to get my AFAA certification (delayed because I need to do in-person CPR/AED training).
d.  I've built at least 1-2 hours into every day to move and be in my body.

3.  I've spent lots of time catching up with old friends from out of the blue -- will be on video chat with my best friends from college this week, thanks to Zoom!

4.  Of course, I'm bonding with my animals much more.  I have cuddle time with each of them, and sometimes the bunny does stretching with me in the early morning.  Here I am in Cobra position with the little guy next to me.





5.  I've been lobbying to get donations of Personal Protective Equipment for all-levels of health care workers.  Myy husband is a healthcare worked who is not a doctor or nurse, and he and his coworkers are often sent into compromising situations with less than appropriate gear.  So far, I've assembled about 6 people who are sewing masks and mask covers for his hospital.  If you have time, money, or talent, I highly recommend finding a way to offer donations in the form of protective equipment to workers on the front lines.




That's all for me from Harlem!

Can't wait to dance with Mosaic again.


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