By JaNaya Hall
From the moment I can remember Seafair has been a high point in all my summers. Let’s talk about a summer without Seafair.
The Beginning Of An Era?
From the moment the famous virus known as “Ms. Rona” arrived, I’m sure no one expected it to linger this long and certainly not to scare this country as much as it has over the months.
Since Corona, our communities as a whole in Seattle have faced so much heartbreak and hurt, from police brutality, all the way to being quarantined for nearly four months. Though we understand the importance of the Stay at Home Stay Healthy order, it has definitely impacted the mental health of our youth not being able to be social, see friends, or enjoy the summer we were all looking forward to. Since its arrival in July of 1972, Seafair has had ahuge effect on the Seattle community and has always been known for the big crowds. Obviously with our current health crisis, big crowds can no longer be. One might ask, “why couldn’t there be virtual Seafair festivities?” I know I did. With that being said, here are some questions you could ask yourself, as well as activities to stay both physically and mentally healthy.
Could the future of our summers really be all in our hands? What could you do?
- Limit social gatherings
- Social distance
- 6 feet apart
- Air hugs 🙂
- Elbow taps
- Sanitize after touching things others might’ve touched
- Wear your mask anytime your outside your household and around others
- Find new indoor activities
- Learn a new language
- Reading
- Learn a new recipe
- Try new foods
- Play some board games or imessage games
- Work on mental health
- Get a therapist/find resources
- Meditation
- Accept your feelings and sit with them but don’t let them consume you
- Focus on the present
- Write down your feelings and try to understand them
- STAY HOME, STAY HEALTHY!
- Get involved with ‘Defund The Police’
- Sign petitions
- Share links to petitions on your social media
- Take this beyond a hashtag & continue the fight when the “trend” doesn’t
- Listen to your Black and POC friends on what you can do as an ally
- Take walks
- Volunteer with The Bus!!!
Although this may be frustrating, it is not impossible. This summer, in the Washington Bus Fellowship I have learned how to expand my mind as well as an understanding of what it is to appreciate your community. This may be long, but I assure you, we’ll be back soon!