LOUISVILLE, Ky. — During a global pandemic when distance is our friend, neighbors in the Tyler Park community are coming together, without leaving their homes.
"It’s kind of crazy because everybody’s self-isolating," Hannah Fife, a Tyler Park resident said.
Fife and her son are like everyone else—ready to return to normal, but there's no timeline for when the spread of the new coronavirus will stop, and so they wait.
"I know we can’t get close right now, but it’s a way to show each other we support each other," said Shawn Reilly, president of Tyler Park Neighborhood.
They’re calling it "Front Porch Fridays," a time to grab your coffee and head outside for some music and fresh air.
"Waving to our neighbors Ray and Tessa, we’re just having fun with it for right now," Reilly said.
A couple blocks over, Jeanette Westbrook is playing her guitar, lifting her voice and the neighbors around her.
"The time to hesitate is through," Westbrook sang. "No time to wallow in the fire. Fight the virus."
Reilly said that though the world feels out-of-sorts, seeing your neighbors can bring back a sense of normalcy.
"The world definitely feels like its turned upside down right now, but neighbors can help you get through it and seeing everyone on their front porches and walking by can help lift your spirits," Reilly said.
For some, working from home isn’t new.
"I would actually be on my porch anyways," Fife said.
She sits on the steps of her home, now covered in chalk rainbows and messages of hope.
"Here we just sit, hangout, eat and watch TV for the current time," Earst Trachsel, longtime resident, said.
But these days, it’s different.
"I think it was that first 70-degree day, we were all out. All day long, it was pretty cool. It was like we were working together but not at all," Fife said.
The neighborhood plans to continue "Front Porch Fridays" every week at 8 a.m. until May 1, or until the order to social distance is lifted.
Is your community doing anything special to keep spirits alive during the COVID-19 outbreak? Email us your heartwarming stories.
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