Center Update 4-26-2020
“Director’s Log: Stardate 52 since Center closure. Alternate systems are fully functional. Community support has been strong. Seniors are weary of following isolation orders but continue to stay home for the good of the island. Spirits are high among staff. The care and feeding of older adults on Vashon and Maury remains a viable mission. We can hold out until orders are lifted.”
Apologies to Captain Kirk. I never was much of a Star Trek fan, but as I sat down to write this week’s update, William Shatner’s voice popped into my head. Should I admit to inspiration from a science fiction character? Why yes – that character managed to support I don’t know how many crew members stuck on a spaceship for years. Can I draw on some of the lessons from that television show? Darn straight I can.
Who can ever forget the Trouble with Tribbles episode? Not familiar? A brief plot summary (trust me, I have an actual point to make) is that one of the crew of the Enterprise is given a cute little furball – a tribble – that quickly multiplies by the hundreds, spreads out over the ship through air vents, and almost eats the entire food supply. Queue Drs. Spock and McCoy, who discover a good virus that kills the tribbles. Great news, although Spock estimates it will take 17.9 years to completely eradicate the little buggers.
My point? We won’t be on lockdown for nearly that long! Nevertheless, we need to stay safe and healthy, and that means staying home. It’s getting harder and harder to stay entertained, active, and keep the boredom and loneliness at bay, so this week’s update gives you some new links to things you can do at home.
Number 1. Support the Center and donate to giveBIG! It’s that time of year when we call on you to support our programs. Your gift, no matter how big or how small, will help us continue to enrich the lives of older adults on Vashon and Maury Island. https://www.givebigwa.org/vashonseniorcenter
Number 2. Call a friend or a neighbor and have an actual conversation. Let’s go old school. No need for smartphones, computers, Zoom, or even the internet. If you’re feeling a bit lonely, I guarantee there are lots of us feeling that same way.
Number 3 . Watch every episode of Bob Ross’ “The Joy of Painting” online. Go ahead, make some happy trees and clouds. https://www.youtube.com/user/BobRossInc/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=7
Number 4. The theater, the theater. The National Theater is streaming Twelfth Night for free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aig5ObghHS4
Number 5. Travel. From home. Travel Weekly has loads of online tours so you can be a virtual tourist. https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/virtual-travel-the-ultimate-list-of-tours-and-live-streams-to-cure-cabin-fever/?fbclid=IwAR0zIBFt-_99A_iYWJCoX2qVaYepJdGFlcKoRjWupltTo_osBjD11l-T0ic
Number 6. Learn to whistle with your fingers and 49 other amazing new skills at home. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/572087/learn-skills-on-youtube?fbclid=IwAR2ZdB5GjWe6Ap7LL_KJw1W6Q6euzDqcGPMJgbRVlnLksTk4bi3-9KezKMo
Number 7. Watch Fiona the Hippo and all kinds of animals doing cute things at https://www.thedailybeast.com/stay-sane-during-your-quarantine-with-these-animal-livestreams?fbclid=IwAR2Pj6QRI7-LEKEw310uALOFCrWwF-DiI_n1kA-jEWVa2yCzpapenMNE54c
Number 8. Put a rectangular cube into a square hole. All kinds of fun brain challenging games at http://brainden.com/bored.htm.
Number 9. Write a letter, send a card or a note and make someone’s day. Again, with the old school, but who doesn’t love getting a real piece of mail? (And buying stamps will support the Post Office!) https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv
Number 10. Take care of your mental health. A lot of folks are having a hard time coping with the current situation. If you’re feeling down and need someone to talk with, please go to the Vashon Be Prepared website and click on https://www.vashonbeprepared.org/MentalHealth. You can also call 206-701-0694. Leave a message if you don’t get an answer – they will call you back.
I hope this will keep you busy, but just one more thing before I go: please let your friends and neighbors know that we’re delivering lunch three days a week to anyone age 55 and older. Not everyone is online, so help us spread the word. If you can help them connect with us, send an email to lunch@vashoncenter.org or help them complete a weekly lunch delivery request form on our website at https://www.vashoncenter.org/lunch-delivery.
Until next week,
Catherine