Well, friends. What a time. Remember when I set a goal to write more about non-travel things? I guess that time is now…

First, I don’t intend to spend this time telling you about all the latest news on COVID-19. Everything is fluid and your best bet is to visit your state’s health department website. While they are usually not the prettiest websites in the world, they are factual and updated by some of the best public health experts in your state. As a proud public health employee of NC, I can vouch for the care and attention put into each release of information. This is what we train for, people! We may not be the savviest technology gurus, but we love public health. Here is the site for my NC peeps!

Second, this is primarily a travel blog, so I will acknowledge that we have canceled our upcoming travel for March and April. If you are trying to figure out how to cancel your upcoming trips, go directly to the website of the hotel or airline that you are using. They all have different policies but many are proving to be very flexible, even for the cheapskies like me who buy non-refundable tickets. You may not get your cash back, but you will more than likely get credit for future use with no fees or extra trouble.This is a best case scenario and please don’t wait for “things to turn around”. We are in this for the long haul!

SO! What’s next? I have a few ideas for things to share with y'all and I hope there is some joy to be had here. I will acknowledge my privilege in having a job that allows me to work from home and that continues to pay my salary through this. I know this is not the same for many of us, and I hope you have some grace for those who need support right now. I want to make sure that while I highlight some fun, silly things we are doing to stay sane, I also lift up ways to support our friends on the front line and those with small businesses or in the service industry.

Here is my plan for the rest of this week! No promises that I stick to this though, because times are weird and moods are a-swingin’ so the writing bug comes and goes as it pleases. This was 100% my weekend goal and 100% a failure because it is now Tuesday - GRACE, PEOPLE.

Tuesday (Today): How to support local businesses, and a special shout-out to some Raleigh faves that are still pumping out food for curbside pick-up.

Wednesday: Natural Wine. What the heck is it, why I love it, and how you can love it too!

Thursday: Hand Embroidery. Ever wanted to stitch out a uterus? Now is your chance! Or flowers, we can stitch flowers too.

Friday: Cookbooks. I love cookbooks so much that yes, I do have a list of them and I will share them all with YOU.

Things to come: Our favorite games that work well with social distancing and Facetime, where I go to learn new fun things from my computer, how to keep that fitness goal strong, stupid pet photos, etc. Got some ideas? Let us know! Maybe we can even convince Luke to write that photography post… There are no rules! Except to stay home!

Alright, so I want to spend a little time talking about how we can support our local businesses, especially the service industry and “non-essential” places like salons. I personally find that my salon (shout out to Caroline at Meraki!) is a very essential service because my untameable mane is screaming for some help right about now, but we do what we gotta do!

A few options for folks who are financially able to keep supporting their local faves:

See if your favorite restaurants are offering delivery or using an app service like GrubHub (if they are offering their own delivery service, stick with that!)
Call ahead for curbside pick-up and pay over the phone if delivery is not offered. We are still picking up food from Sola Coffee when we can and are craving some meal kits from Ashley Christensen.
TIP WELL. This applies to everything and everyone, all the time, but especially now.
Order coffee beans from your favorite coffee shop. They can hand them over curbside or ship to you! If you are local to Raleigh/Durham, consider buying beans from Cocoa Cinnamon. They have a goal of 230 bags ordered per day to keep their employees paid a living wage during this time of crisis. Check out their roastery here.
If you had an appointment scheduled for your hair or nails, or a massage or facial on the books, consider a gift card for the amount you would have paid for when you are able to return (or pay your person directly!). Call your salon and ask about the best way to support them. If you like the products they use during your visit, call and buy some. Instagram has been the best place to get updates like this, so make sure you follow the businesses you support!
Not specific to one business, but also consider a monetary donation to your local food bank. Our Central NC Food Bank is low on frozen foods and cannot accept donations of actual frozen foods, so monetary donations really help! Again, check the websites and make phone calls if you feel passionate about something. Every local business is different and has different needs.

I also will add that gift cards are always a great way to keep funds flowing into businesses, but consider taking it one step further. You’ve got that gift card to your favorite coffee place, now consider passing it forward to your postal worker, or your neighbor who is a health care provider, or a new parent, or just your best friend who needs a pick-me-up so they can use it someday soon. Pass on the joy, people!

If supporting a business financially is not something you want to or are able to do right now, you can help in other ways! Write a review on Google or their webpage for the great service you received recently. Call your local representatives to see how they are supporting the service industry! There are always opportunities to advocate with your voice and now is the perfect time to do so. Check out www.saverestaurants.co for some really specific action steps led by my favorite chefs in the business.

This list is not at all exhaustive, and I know there are so many unique ways to support people right now. If you are looking for ways to support in your communities, just hit the internet.

So that’s it for today! I promise to try and teach you something tomorrow with the little knowledge that I have. I’ll be sure to write my natural wine post while chugging that good Glouglou. Check back tomorrow (maybe?) for a little wine vocab quiz.

Peace and happy hand washing!

Featured