My perspective of our current situation

 During this time, I believe that supporting your small businesses is crucial.  One way I have supported them  is by praying that they will be able to reopen and that they will have the customers they need to stay in business. I think that this is important because God hears you when you pray, and our businesses need lots of prayers.

I also believe that being in quarantine is not good for our economy. It is not good because it causes people to lose their jobs and their livelihoods because their businesses are closed. And it is not good for all of society because it can cause people to get cooped up and go crazy, like many are right now. I have been cooped up and crazy before too, becoming bored because of the lack of things to do at my house.

In my personal experience, it has been really hard for me to see businesses close because I know that people are losing their jobs and if it was a really good store, I am sad because there is one less good store that I could get my things from and I lose the good service they provided. As the case with Combellack's, it was a historical store that meant a lot to Placerville and losing it was like losing a piece of the town. When I was a little kid, I was honestly afraid of seeing different businesses close. It was too traumatizing for me to look at them. I would cry a lot when I saw one close, especially if it was one I really liked going to, because I realized it was no more. That is why I believe we need to support our businesses in our community. I don't want all of our businesses we like to close.

As a way of trying to lessen the impact of the pandemic on the economy, my family and I have supported our local businesses by buying groceries from Fork Lift in Cameron Park, pet supplies from Lee's Feed in Shingle Springs, plants from El Dorado Nursery in Shingle Springs (while getting inspired with all their ideas about what we want for our backyard), landscaping materials from Acer Landscaping (next door to the nursery) for our yard, hardware from Churchill's Hardware, takeout food from Cameron Park's Thai House, Los Pinos Mexican Restaurant, Fernando's Costa Del Sol, and Shingle Springs's Back Forty Texas BBQ.  We have even tried burgers and fries from a new place we have never visited before called the Breakroom in Shingle Springs.

Another positive thing that has happened during this time is that I have been able to see and spend time with my nearby neighbors. Our neighbors have shopped for us when we couldn't find the supplies we needed, such as toilet paper, or didn't want to deal with waiting in line to enter Costco.  As a fun thing to add, I have been able to help my neighbor next door when he needed to clean out some brush from his yard, which I thought was a nice thing to do instead of being inside all day.

A week ago, we did something creative; we celebrated my father's 50th Birthday party by having a parade. Many of my dad's friends drove by our house waving to dad and bringing birthday signs, talked with us and even gave dad funny gifts, rolls of toilet paper. I had a really fun time and in fact, we had more people for dad's 50th birthday than we had for any previous birthdays in years past.

We've enjoyed meals on the patio, a couple walks each day seeing all the houses, trees, birds, and beautiful flowers. When it rained, I've seen streams flowing in our neighborhood that I thought were cool. I've enjoyed working with my dad outside in the backyard on retaining walls and planting plants in the ground.

I hope that you are doing good during this time and that you are thinking of things to keep you up and going. Thank you for reading my blogpost and God bless!!

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.   Psalm 46:10-11