Hello there members and friends, comrades and colleagues,

I have been ruminating on this piece for a while now. I was reticent to write anything at all because, really, what do you need or want to hear? That, I don’t know but I want to ask a few questions before I spout off anything about my own experience in confinement, and, maybe, deep down, I just wanted to reach out and say hello.

How are you holding up? How is working from home? How is homeschooling? Are you taking adequate time to manage your health so you can care for your families? As the days roll by and the Shelter-in-Place order remains, I keep asking myself these questions. I do hope that you are all doing well despite the current situation.

Some days are better than others. Some days I thrive, other days I dive, but if I am going to be stuck at home, this is the best darned place to do it. There is a reason that we have all chosen this place to live, work and play. Place. It’s so important. Community. It’s the glue that binds us to each other and to this place. I know that we are all in similar boats and I won’t be offering any advice, suggestions or words of wisdom. I wanted to let you know that your Board is still working for the membership. We are meeting regularly just as we did before, but now of course, it’s remote.

We are seeing that working from home has it’s challenges and for many, it’s the first time you’ve had to do it. Productivity ebbs and flows with the introduction of different sets of distractions we might not be used to. Even though I have been working out of a home office for many years, this time in the world is completely different.

Just as there was a beginning to the pandemic, so will there be an end. We don’t know what it looks like, or when it will be. So, for now, we are all hanging in there as best we can.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions, concerns or if you just want to talk.

Many blessings,

Carissa Green, AIARE Executive Director