Surviving Lock Down: Thoughts on Spring Cleaning | March 2020

Ladybug Wellness
March 16 2020
Pondering thoughts and observations… .
We are all expected to stay home now. Many people have been so accustomed to the fast paced world we live in and now it has all ground to a screeching halt.
Many are fearful for jobs and money, as well as daily care and support of family members. I remember being a single mom raising four kids while working full time. School was my “babysitter” for the most part, where I could trust my kids were taken care of while I was earning money to feed and care for them. I cannot even imagine going through the current global instability now, having known the basic struggles I dealt with back then. To add to the current state of affairs, we now have technology and extensive sources of high speed spreading news, not usually good news.
There are all sorts of suggestions floating around of what to do to keep kids entertained at home. And suggestions of getting back to basics in caring for ourselves and our homes. On an energetic level, this is a wonderful opportunity for self healing and well being.
One of the suggestions is to start on spring cleaning, clean out closets etc. In the midst of lockdown on public gatherings, what will happen for “garage sale season”? You know, the art of moving your stuff to another person’s garage. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
This got me thinking. People are hoarding necessities in panic state. There are many people who cannot afford to panic buy. They are waiting for payday, and for some that payday may not come right now, causing even more panic in how to care for their families.
There are some wonderful people out there offering to buy for, and even to donate to, those who are particularly compromised right now. While this is a worthy cause, and can be considered a form of tithing, or good Karma, I would like to consider another perspective. Some people would like to retain some of their dignity in having their own money to buy their own wants and needs, rather than just accept the mercy of handouts. How to assist them in having their own money? Consider online garage sales as a form of distributing the wealth amongst the community. Personally, I find Facebook Marketplace the best overall exposure to find items rather than restrictive buy/ sell groups. Yes Marketplace has restrictions as well, but not as much as in groups, in my opinion. (I will mention here to be particularly aware of scammers, but trust your inner voice there. You need a degree of caution in any area of life anyway).
I have bought some items off Marketplace, and met some amazing people along the way in the idea of networking. Some appreciated a buyer as they have been scrounging pennies for gas and food. You never know someone else’s predicament. I have found some pretty unique items on Marketplace, and an even more eclectic selection than in franchise stores. Be open to the possibilities!
Another thought is that to be “in the flow”, there must be an exchange of energy, whether it is money for items or services, or a barter/ trade dynamic.
There is a lot going around of encouraging purchases from small businesses, but I would like to encourage to go a step further and consider others as well who may not be running a business but just selling other material items in order to buy food and necessities.
With the idea of spring cleaning, I have seen posts offering delivery services and dump runs, as well as repair services etc. These are often people offering their skills and services to earn their own money as well. I wonder how we can encourage more community in this sense, perhaps even a barter system of trading (honorably and respectfully of course!), while still maintaining the encouraged social distancing and precautions.
Buy shopping local, whether from a small business, or a gently used Marketplace item, we really can redistribute the wealth on a much more personal level and take care of those around us in the best way.