This too is Yonkers–by Eric Schoen
The Coronavirus is affecting all of us. For people like me who are always out and about it is hitting us particularly hard. No gym, no movies, no theater, no restaurants, I can’t even go to Starbucks, the place where many of these columns have been written to relax and talk with friends and readers who so often give me ideas on what to write and what’s going on around town.
For those who watch television, thankfully there are 500 channels available and plenty to watch. But please, don’t listen to the news 24 hour a day on television or on radio. It will drive you nuts, and so much of the information is repetitive.
One of the best reports I watched on television was by my friend Mary Calvi on CBS Channel 2 in New York about solid nutrition as the key to fighting off any virus. The url is newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/03/13/coronavirus-prevention-solid-nutrition-key-to-fending-off-any-virus/ but just google Mary Calvi Nutrition Coronavirus and a link will pop up. Vitamin D, probiotics, Vitamin C, Zinc, ginger, oranges are only some of the things experts tell Mary will heighten your defenses to any virus.
We have the internet that allows us to stay in contact with the ones we love and do so many things to keep us busy. Thanks Al Gore for giving us this important resource. Only kidding!
As a friend who worked for IBM way before the internet came on the horizon told me they were communicating at IBM via computers when Al Gore was in diapers. No matter who[1] created it, fortunately they did.
Thanks to streaming music, people are listening as much as ever in their homes, offices, or any other location where their devices can connect to the internet to the latest music available. No more going to the store to buy cds, cassette tapes, or long playing records. Hit a button and the latest Lady Gaga or Arianna Grande or Billie Eilish song is there for you.
With all that we have most people need that breath of fresh air from outside of our homes or apartments to keep us going. When I stay in the house and don’t go out it feels awfully strange the next day when I do go out. My body and brain feel like I missed something. Which leads me to my point. Make sure you go out of your house or apartment and get a breath of fresh air everyday. Always keep in mind the 6 foot social distancing rule. It cleanses the mind and allows you to get a breath of the air that keeps us alive.
If for some reason you can’t leave the house open the windows and let the fresh air from outside get into your house or apartment. Have you ever worked in a building with windows that don’t open and spent your whole day inside? Finally at the end of the day you get out of work and you feel so much better and your mind clears. Fresh air is so critical no matter how you get it.
Visit one of out beautiful parks like Tibbets Brook Park or Untermyer Park in Yonkers or the 700 acre Saxon Woods Park in White Plains. Plenty of room for the kids to play and for you to walk around and clear your mind. Sometimes a walk in a park by the water like at Playland or Oakland Beach in Rye or City Island a short drive away in the Bronx is refreshing with the wintry breeze that comes off the water.
If you live alone make sure you interact with other people everyday so you don’t feel isolated. Even if that means sitting on a park bench and people watching. You don’t want to feel alone. We are all in this together. Make sure if you are going out shopping to call your elderly neighbors and friends to see if they need something. And drop off a little treat like a piece of cake or some muffins if you know someone is in the house all alone.
Our libraries have so many good resources online. There are tutorials to show you how to do anything. Learn a new language, download the latest book, eAudiobooks for those who enjoy listening to a book being read to them, eMagazines and newspapers to keep in touch with the world, eMusic, eMovies etc. It’s all there for you at your fingertips.
All you need to use the library resources is a library card. I know most of my readers have library cards, but just in case you don’t or your card expired here’s what to do to if you live in Yonkers to get online quickly. If you have an expired card, send an email to Acting Library Director Susan Thaler (sthaler@ypl.org) with your name, and if you have it, your expired card number. If you don’t have a card, send sthaler@ypl.org your name, address, phone number and date of birth. A card can be issued to you and you will be sent an email with the number. You can use that to access the online resources immediately. Then when the library reopens, you can stop by a branch and pick up the physical card.
Many adults have computers whether it be tablets, laptops or phones that give access to the internet. Many adults haven’t a clue how to use these devices. Many of our students and adults don’t have these devices. Check with your neighbors to see if they need a computer for their child to to schoolwork. Clean the device with what you normally use to sanitize it and call your neighbor to tell him or her to pick it up immediately at your doorstop. Just to be safe the neighbor should sanitize it again. Who knows, when things get better maybe the student will come over the house and you will finally learn how to use that device your family paid lots of money for.
In times like these a note of thanks is particularly appreciated. Have your child write a note to the brave nurses and doctors at your local hospital busy treating sick patients. These people are putting their lives at risk to help others. Add firemen, policemen, sanitation workers, the mailman or anyone you know who is out there working to make the situation better or helping others cope to your note list. Send the note to the director of the hospital or head of your local fire or police or sanitation department and ask that they pass it on to those on the frontline. A handwritten note will be so much appreciated by the heroes out there!
Some important Hotline Phone Numbers you need to know in Westchester:
- People under self-quarantine or exposure to known case, call (866) 588-0195
- NYS Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline (888) 364-3065
- Westchester County COVID-19 Information Call 211
- If you are experiencing anxiety or stress that has begun to affect your daily life and you feel you need support, call (914) 995-1900.
And I stand corrected. The first thing kids learn in Nursery School when they are 2 years old is how to wash their hands with soap and water. Make sure you keep doing it. Nothing is better not even alcohol based sanitizers to stop viruses from spreading.
If the place where you normally find this newspaper has been closed, always turn to risingmediagroup.com and click on Yonkers Rising or the newspaper for your community.
Stay safe!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
