Christy Korrow Letter – 2020

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Spring 2020

Dear readers,

I will always remember where I was on February 29th, the day that our state health department held a press conference telling us that the Novel Coronavirus was beginning to spread in the two counties that border us. And now, five weeks later, it has altered the fabric of our country’s society in ways we have never seen in our lifetime.

 

A section of our dining table is cluttered with bottles of homemade hand sanitizer, essential oils, vitamins, homeopathic and anthroposophic remedies, and homemade Chinese herbal tinctures. I was grateful for Dr. Adam Blanning’s article with his step-by-step instructions and specific remedy recommendations for management of flu-like symptoms. We shared it widely on our LILIPOH Facebook page and you will find it in this issue on page 8.

 

To say we are living in uncertain times is an understatement. One thing I know for sure is that this is not a time to sit on the sidelines. Some spiritual teachers might tell you that we can separate ourselves out from politics, social justice, and active participation in shaping the world we want to live in. That we just need to recite mantras and say our prayers. I could not disagree more.

 

As longtime readers of LILIPOH, we have been learning side by side about how Camphill coworkers and villagers live in community and care for those of all abilities, how biodynamic farmers grow food and restore the soil, and how anthroposophic doctors and nurses teach us about having agency over our own health through best practices for holistic self-care and care for others. It is times like these that we must put into practice what we have learned, share it with others, and come together in solidarity with those who are in need.

 

Please take some time to learn about mutual aid, the history, and how to participate in it or start a mutual aid network in your community (page 27).

 

Here are some ideas to get you started:

 

  • Offer some money to a farmer in your community so they can donate food to those in need.
  • Check in with friends who are out of work and see if they need groceries picked up, or some cash for supplies or to pay their utility bill.
  • Buy a set of the remedies outlined in Dr. Blanning’s article for someone in your community who may not be able to afford them.
  • Reach out and write to prisoners. Those who are detained are scared because they do not have access to proper sanitation or the capacity for social distancing.

 

In my own state, I am spending my extra time participating in a Covid-19 resource hotline and relief fund for undocumented workers and community members, all of whom are excluded from unemployment insurance and the $1200 federal stimulus check. In families where some members are US Citizens, if even one family member uses an ITIN to pay their taxes, no member of that family will be eligible to receive the $1200 payment coming from the federal government.

 

There is much work to be done. It can be overwhelming. One of the brightest young activists I know, a transgender, undocumented and unafraid young woman from Mexico, gave me some advice, she said, in the words of Dory from Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming.” We’re all in this together.

 

Christy Korrow