What a difference a month makes! No, wait, make that an hour!
A month ago, we were planning the April issue, and our long-contemplated theme was GREEN: green heroes, green practices, green businesses, even green condos and rental buildings under construction. We wanted our stories to uplift and inspire, and get readers to think differently about our world – and our community.
Then, seemingly overnight, a new term entered our consciousness and has been burrowing ever-deeper with each passing day. COVID-19 is changing every aspect of the way we live. Businesses, both big and small, as well as individuals are already feeling the impact. Leaside restaurants are either suspending operations entirely or switching to a takeout/delivery model. Suddenly, local grocers are seeing their shelves stripped of toilet paper and hand sanitizer, as shoppers hunker down in self-imposed exile. “Social distancing” has been become the new norm, along with working from home, online education, and many more tectonic shifts in the way we normally live our lives.
So, what to do with our originally planned April issue of Leaside Life? I carefully reread our stories about green heroes – those doing so much more than their bit – whom we are honouring as winners of the first annual Green Heart awards. I looked at some of the breathtaking wildlife photographs of Cindy Conlin, this month’s featured LHS grad. I marvelled at the ingenuity of a local sap tapper, who looks forward to this time of year to create his delicious maple syrup.
And for a few brief moments I felt better. The COVID-19 crisis will not go away any time soon, but in the meantime, people are rising to the occasion. Acts of humanity are on the rise. So-called “caremongers” are reaching out to their neighbours with offers of assistance. We can make a difference by helping one another!
If you hear of Leasiders going the extra kilometre, we want to hear about them. Write to us at .