Social distancing, lockdowns, isolation, quarantines around the world and closures of public places. All scary, depressing things to hear but in order to try to flatten the curve and slow the transmission of this Coronavirus, as well as not to overwhelm hospitals, nurses and doctors on the front lines, we must do our part to minimize the spread.
As we ourselves prepare for a drastic drop in business, we know this can be a trying time ahead. As always, however, we look for the best in any situation, so today our blog is hopefully an uplifting one… let’s make lemonade from lemons, as they say.
So, our “different type of curve” is inspired by an old wife’s tale that says it takes 21 days to change/create a habit. Many, including James Clear, author of the NYT best seller Atomic Habits, says it can actually take a bit longer than that; clocking in at an average of 66-days! But with many Americans dealing with school closures, office closures and working from home for the next 21 days… we here at PUR2o think we can challenge ourselves to change a few habits anyway!
So personally, I’m in a high-risk category with COVID-19 (coronavirus). My family has been quarantined for some time now, and practicing social distancing…even at home. With schools closed, my children are home until April 15. We find ourselves challenged with juggling work and school assignments in limited space, and of course, the unimaginable rationing of toilet paper.
I am nervous our house could become very chaotic! My family love each other very much, and we do spend some nice quality time together, but being behind the same four walls for an unknown period of time, while stressing about money, having to complete work and school obligations, and also trying to not get lazy, is going to be a challenge…moreover not so smooth sailing!
Still, as we must all stay proactive in order to “flatten the curve” of coronavirus, I’ve made up my mind to create our own curve, where we try forming some good, happy and healthy and productive habits that will help us get through the next few weeks.
The idea being that we learn something – a take-away - if you will…whether it’s life lessons, or things about each other so that as we come out the other side of this crisis, we’ll have a brighter, more positive outlook in the future.
Therefore, my first goal is less about changing a habit, but more about making one!
I have always loved the concept of homeschooling, but I work full-time so it is completely unrealistic for my family. Now, however, that we are forced to be together for the foreseeable future, my goal is to form a routine of habits to avoid a whole lot of screen time, watching TV or being engrossed in computer games as a way to save the day. We have outlined a schedule for school days to make sure we get up and get dressed, brush our teeth and plan a balance of fun, work and exercise. Everyone was involved in designing the plan, so that we all feel like we have had a say in it.
In a nutshell, my first goal is to have all of us “survive” the next few weeks without becoming couch potatoes and TV zombies! Maybe my family will learn about life without screens ruling us, and remember how to play games, interact and have a conversation with each other.
The other habit I want to focus on is understanding the “why” in our life.
We home cook a lot, and drink lots of water (PUR2o water… not bottled water of course!). We eat a variety of fruits and veggies and practice good citizenship by recycling and using our composter for food scraps. But through writing those sentences I realize that I said “we” a lot. Yes, we all eat healthy, and we all recycle, but really that should be re-worded to say “I” cook healthy meals for my family, and “I” nag everyone to recycle. I’m not putting them down, but as a realist I know they do it because I do it. I lead the pack by example and encourage it but if I were not around, I wonder what they would do?
So, the second part of my 21-day habit change is to instill in them the “why” of what we do as a family, so that I am not just making choices for them, but so that they are also part of making those choices and the logic behind them.
Why do we eat lots of fruits and veggies?
Why do not drink bottled water?
Why do we wash our hands?
Why do we recycle plastic and food waste?
Why can’t we lie around in our PJs all day?
Why is having a routine so important?
Why should we still have consistent bedtimes and wake up times? Why can’t we sit and watch TV for the next few weeks?
Maybe it will work, or maybe it won’t but it’s a perfect opportunity so we might as well try! I personally think many of these things above can teach us about responsible citizenship, which is so important in the world today, and even more pronounced in the current crisis.
Now the last “why” we want to ask…at least for today; is an important one. As I chat with friends and family (over the phone of course) the most common discussion is the debate of why are we social distancing or quarantining?
We as humans spend so much time focusing on ourselves; ourselves as individuals, our family, our businesses, our careers, our country, that sometimes we forget that we all share the same planet with more than 7.5-billion other people.
A pandemic virus is an attack on all humans, no matter what their age or their ethnicity. A pandemic virus doesn’t attack based on gender, religion, or people from one political party or another. A pandemic virus does not have a passport. This virus is all inclusive as to who it infects, however some people have a better chance of fighting COVID-19 over others who may have underlying health issues.
This is a time when we must care about all human beings, and we all need to make sacrifices to save as many lives as possible.
Those packing sunny beaches for spring break, or still gathering in big groups and popping over friends houses instead of enacting social distancing, need to open their eyes and realize that their daily lives may, in fact, revolve around themselves, but they are part of something so much bigger.
When society and the human race have overcome moments like this in the past they go down in history. These moments help bring people together and bring out the kindness around the world in ways we think we have never seen before.
So, when we feel bored, when we worry about not seeing our friends, or worry about not going to work, know that these things maybe seem important today, but in the bigger picture if we will hold hands and support each other through this time, the social distancing or quarantining will ultimately save the lives of possibly thousands of human beings.
A “different kind of curve” reflecting how we change our habits by putting social responsibility first will do wonders for an America that has been so politically divided. Perhaps it will give us the opportunity to come back together again as one people in one nation.
Know we are doing our best to be safe during this global crisis; see our company guidelines here.
About PUR2o
We are striving to provide as many people as possible with filtered, purified, naturally alkaline and ionized water for drinking and cooking straight from the tap, for three reasons. We care about the health of YOU, the health of our PLANET and the health of your POCKET!
THE HEALTH OF YOU
Our goal is to provide as many people as possible with pure, crystal clear, safe & healthy water.
PUR2o Alkaline water is shown to benefit: Overall health and energy, weight management, muscle stimulation, brain power, digestive system, mood, body temperature, youthfulness, complexion, lifespan, and boosting your immune system.
THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET
We are also committed to creating a greater awareness of how plastic and plastic bottles are polluting our planet and our bodies by providing the best water out of your tap, eliminating the amount of plastic we dispose of and how much water we consume out of plastic bottles.
THE HEALTH OF YOUR POCKET
Aside from all the health benefits of Alkaline Water, you save a tremendous amount of money with our systems! Did you know?…. If you drink eight glasses of water each day, it will cost approximately $55 per year; vs $1,700 if you were to drink the same amount of bottled water instead. The PUR2o system pays for its self in only one year by one persons water consumption.