A MESSAGE FROM

evette pamela a message from Lt. Governor

As many of you know, like every other state across the country, this has been a very challenging time for our citizens and our businesses. Still, we are blessed in South Carolina to have leadership at every level – city, state and federal – who put both the people and the businesses of our state at the top of their priority list. I truly believe that while we are facing this unprecedented situation, by coming together as Team South Carolina, we will be stronger and better prepared should we face something similar in the future. I am particularly proud of the work that’s been done through accelerateSC. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to visit the new website dedicated to this effort at: www.accelerate.sc.gov.

Over the past month, I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of businesses in different areas of the Palmetto State. I’ve seen firsthand how they moved quickly to keep their employees safe while keeping the economy going. Many shifted operations to produce items our country needed – from medications to PPE to items that support ongoing manufacturing – an industry that has become the backbone of our state’s economy. I’ve been impressed by these businesses’ creativity and ingenuity, but above all, I’ve been inspired by their positive outlook in the face of challenge. It is this mentality and characteristic of our business community that makes South Carolina unique and makes me so incredibly proud to be the Lt. Governor of this great state.

Even more inspiring is the fact that I haven’t only seen this attitude in our business community, I’ve also seen it in daily interactions with front line workers in our restaurants, grocery stores and salons as well as in speaking with my neighbors, teachers, parents and friends. People have found creative ways to connect with one another virtually and in person. Friends and loved ones are connecting via Zoom calls and Facetime, and individuals are spending time with their families and friends enjoying our state’s beautiful natural resources. From the mountains to the beaches and everywhere in between, our state is unique in all it has to offer.

In fact, during the month of July, I had the opportunity to see many of the Palmetto State’s most beautiful places during the South Carolina 7 Expedition led Tom Mullikin. This 30-day expedition not only celebrated the seven natural wonders of South Carolina, it also raised awareness of Floodwater Prevention & Resiliency across the state. We also visited many other beautiful and historic S.C. landmarks. So, if you and your family are looking for ideas, I would encourage you to visit www.southcarolina7.com for a roadmap of adventure right here in the Palmetto State.

Last, but not least, as the Chair of the S.C. Governor’s Complete Count Committee, I feel it’s important to point out that South Carolina, along with every other state across the U.S., has been the recipient of federal disaster relief funds to assist us in many areas like schools, broadband and PPE. Did you know that 2010 census data is an important factor that drives South Carolina’s share of this relief? Beyond this crisis, Census data is also used to determine funding for school lunch programs, hospitals, broadband placement, transportation and infrastructure, business funding, and so much more. With a new

deadline of September 30th, I’m asking all of you to join me as “census champions,” by completing your census and encouraging others to do the same at www.my2020census.gov.

Above all, South Carolinians are resilient. We have seen it in our homes, our schools, our places of worship and our business. And as we continue on the road to recovery, I have great faith in the people of South Carolina, and I am confident that our future remains very bright.

Please follow me on Facebook (@pamelaevettesc), Twitter (@pamelaevette) and Instagram (@pamelasevette) where I will continue to share important information about our state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Census and more.

“Oh, I can do this,” I said to myself when Covid-19 hit. All I have to do is stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, non-perishable foods, Clorox Wipes, hand sanitizer, masks, Lysol Spray, and stay home. But beauty shops closing? Oh, NO! My hair was growing and with no color, the skunk would grow, too; that’s the ugly white strip down the middle of your head. To honor the no color hair challenge, I actually thought about writing a new book, Fifty Shades of Grey Roots. Plus, my manicured nails and toes were suffering too. I soon discovered a universal Southern principle; I am my mother’s own child.

Every Wednesday at 8 AM sharp, Momma would drive to Belks (when Belk had an “s”) in Charleston’s South Windermere to get her hair done. It was a ritual that spanned y-e-a-r-s. I used to tease Eleanor and her hair habits. “Momma, I don’t think your hair has not moved since1963.” This is the year Auqa Net hair spray was invented.

When my mother had her heart attack and ended up at Roper Hospital’s ICU floor, she made history. She was the only woman at the time to have her hair done in ICU … minus the hairspray. (Oxygen and hairspray don’t play well together.) I also recall that my mother somehow managed to travel to her beauty shop on the heels of Hurricane Hugo. What a beautiful Southern role model.

I decided to try to perserve my gel nails by filling in the gaps with gobs of polish. I was doing pretty well until one evening, while I was cooking supper (supper is the Southern way to say dinner), I had a beauty mis-hap. As I was pounding out patties, I noticed that one of my fake nails was missing. My nail color is OPI Passion Pink and ironically passion pink is the same color of raw hamburger meat. Well, the fake nail was lost in the meat. Did I mention that I was tired of cooking? The bottom line is that Thomas ate supper, did not double over in pain after a few hours so I passed that challenge. (No pun intended.)

Now here is another problem hair-do issue—if your hair suddenly looks good, the sistahs will know that you went underground. But this is when awesome girlfriends come in handy. My friend Betty Anne Quatlebaum knows how to fix anything to do with beauty. She suggested that I visit the drug store and buy some L’Oreal root spray. I just noticed, L’Oreal has the word real in it—made me laugh. Anyway, root spray works great on roots but it is not intended to become hair spray color, so as the skunk grows, more color is needed. God bless David, my hair designer. He knows me and the vain beauty queen that lives inside of my soul. He called and said, “I can do your hair at 2 PM, but after 5 PM, I have to close; Governor’s orders.” It was 1 o’clock; I dropped everything and drove to his shop. I could hear my mother saying, get yourself to that beauty shop, now. Remember who you are…I made your Daddy cut tree limbs so I could drive out of our driveway after Hugo, my hair was fluffed in ICU, and your Daddy understood that his funeral would not happen on a Wednesday since that is my hair day.

I was on a mission.

So for three hours, I sat in the beauty chair and was totally renovated… it was awesome. I felt like my inner beauty queen was reborn with every snip, back comb, curl and spray, I could feel my self-esteem fluff, too.

Then the unthinkable.

At 4:50, a police officer walked into the beauty shop. Our eyes met. I must have had a look of determination on my face that spoke volumes. No handcuffs or you have the right to remain silent verbiage would interrupt this moment.

“Uh, I just wanted to let you know that you can finish with this ladies hair,” said the policeman in a sheepish voice.

“Thank you,” I said. “You would have to call for back-up to get me out of this chair.”

“Yes, Mam’, I understand.” replied the cop. “I have a wife and three daughters.”

Once upon a time, with Covid 19,

We loosened our belts and cursed "Quarantined"

Toilet paper was rationed and we all got fatter The masses screeched, what was the matter?

We met Carol Baskins and Exotic Joe

Big cat adventures-the number one show? Six-foot-space and no more hugs Replaced hand shakes till we find some drugs

And those of us who are terribly vain

Bad hair and nails nearly drove us insane

We missed our churches and sitting in pews Focus on sadness; what would that do?

But once upon a time, we dealt with Covid 19

Families were together until we could scream.

Learning from home is not as easy as it looks Thank God for teachers, who still teach from books.

For Heroes in Hospitals who work in Health care

Without them, we wouldn’t have had a prayer.

Words by Cameron McElhannon & Helen McElhannon

BRICK & MORTAR • Stress the importance of wearing a mask properly during all task. • Encourage proper hand washing and hand sanitizing. • Speak with your child about maintaining proper distance from others. • Remind your child to not share materials with classmates. • Explain the significance of not touching the face.

Please remember that teachers and administration are also following rules given to them. It’s important that children understand the significance of doing their part when at school.

VIRTUAL LEARNING • If your school does not have a firm class schedule for virtual learning, set a daily routine designating what time each subject should be completed. Be certain to include breaks and lunch. • Create a distraction free space for your child to complete schoolwork. • Make time for daily exercise breaks tailored to your child’s age and attention span. • Encourage your child to stay connected with a few other virtual students. If both families are social distancing and comfortable, an outside play date or social activity may be a good idea. • Communicate with your child’s virtual teacher regularly to be sure your child is completing assignments and making adequate progress.

Ever wake up in the morning and set your intention for the day? Kind of like a vision board for how the next 18 hours look in your head? This morning, I woke to cloudy skies and the sound of rain outside. Perfect day to relax...stretch...and feed my inner soul with some calm. It’s been a busy week in the home office and the weekend is within sight! Yes, today’s mood will be as seamless and cool as the expanse of blue stratus clouds outside of my window.

Five minutes into my plans for all things zen and namaste, I noticed a palmetto bug twitching its way slowly across my husband’s nightstand. (Side note - I am not afraid of a thing in this world except for these little creatures of the underworld). I quickly glance around and locate a bottle of glass cleaner. From a safe distance, I drown the demonic reptile insect until he falls onto the floor, and then I proceed to smash him with my husband’s running shoe repeatedly until there is no sign of life. All the while, my threeyear old is crying hysterically, “No, Mommy! Don’t kill the spider! Don’t kill him, please!” After disposing of the body and cleaning the crime scene, I proceed to explain to my daughter why these bugs are disease-carrying disgusting critters that MUST be exterminated. She only stared at me, likely marking my resemblance to fiery Te Fiti from “Moana”.

Things continued their slippery slope downward as my dog had an incontinent episode narrowly missing being spread all over the house via the robot vacuum. Email notifications frantically sounding off. The dishwasher was full of dishes needing put away. Both washer and dryer were full of laundry. AND WHERE IS MY FAVORITE BLANKET.

Time out. I gave myself a literal time out. This day would match my vision board and I was determined to make it happen! I dropped my daughter off at my in-laws and returned home, extra tall coffee in hand. In my practice of expressing gratitude during this quarantine, I found few simple steps for creating a space for calm amidst the chaos.

The Bible Recap Podcast provided the perfect background as I handled the laundry and dishes. Sitting still and listening to a podcast or someone read the Old Testament just does not work for my squirrely brain. But toss in a chore and I am laser-focused on getting my mind right.

An ocean scented candle and a hawaiian screensaver on the bigscreen TV set the perfect scene for this chilly spring morning. I may not physically be on the coast but it’s amazing how the sense of smell and sight can convince me I’m there. Instant mood-lifter.

A quick mop (after the robot vacuum did it’s thing with zero doggy mishaps) instantly calmed my nerves. It’s crazy how a clean house makes my anxiety go down ten levels. Something about shiny floors and uncluttered spaces embraces my very being.

A lunchtime yoga session was just what I needed to ground myself. Since I cannot attend my favorite local yoga center in person, the free classes being offered online during this time helps ease all of the instability in my mind and my world right now.

Every day still looks different during this season, every day still uncertain. I cannot control the day’s events or what the future holds, but I am confident I can (better) control my perspective. Life is so much sweeter when I seek love and light; even if there is a little bit of poo in my path.