H OW WE LIVE N OW
‘Acts of kindness … make a difference’ Sondra Komada is the director of community relations and special events at the SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals. She recently moved to Henderson Woods from Lake Hogan Farms with her husband, Mike, and their two pet goldendoodles, Sophie and Hallie. They have three kids – Leah, 25, Alex, 23, and Anna Grace, 18.
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arch 29 was the birthday of our son, Alex, and our daughter Anna Grace. Alex came home from Charlotte to quarantine with us, and Anna Grace has been quite bummed that her senior year at East Chapel Hill High School has been cut short with no prom and probably no graduation ceremony or Project Grad (of which she is the student co-chair). To top it off, both of them had to cancel birthday plans due to quarantine and social distancing orders. However, a few families from our old neighborhood did stop by (observing social distancing) and broke into the birthday song from the sidewalk while dropping off cookie cakes and treats (all containers disinfected). It made their day! These acts of kindness in a time of crisis and uncertainty make a difference.
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‘Artists are essential for our well-being’ Heather Cook is the executive director of NorthStar Church of the Arts. She lives in the Colonial Village neighborhood with her husband, Phil Cook, and children Ellis, 8, and Amos, 4.
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ime feels like science fiction right now, every day a little more warped and webbed than the one before. The adrenaline is wearing off, the long view is coming in, and my eyes are too strained from staring at checklists for my own relief applications to make any sense of it all. There’s a lot of talk right now about what is essential, and I believe that artists are, and have always been, essential to the well-being of our community. We look for their poems, their songs and their interpretations of the moment to help us contextualize what is happening. We look to them for comfort and inspiration, [which] are vital right now. We need to be investing in them accordingly. For the past three weeks, I’ve lived in a parallel universe where I felt extremely clear on how to show up for my family and our community. At home, Phil and I created a daily schedule. I set up a work desk on the front porch, we planted seeds and spent more time together as a family than we have in years. On March 12, I launched the Durham Artist Relief Fund through NorthStar and began planning a telethon
with my co-conspirator Kym Register [of The Pinhook], hurling us both into a crash course in millennial-level interneting. We hosted “What the Hell-a-Thon” on April 4 and raised more than $8,000 for the fund. It’s 4 p.m., and despite it being a stunner of a day outside, [my children] have been playing video games for hours while I catch up on work. We’re having leftover Pie Pushers for dinner; I’ve got a John Prine record cued up and am headed for a glass of wine. I’m counting my blessings and recommitting to rest so that I can continue to show up for the long game.
‘Dance has helped offer some routine to her day’ Torey Mishoe, executive director of Hillsborough Arts Council, shares how To The Pointe (TTP) dance company has brought joy to her 8-year-old daughter, Lila, via virtual dance classes:
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ila has been dancing with TTP for three years now. They are very focused on encouraging skill building and supporting the kids’ growth as dancers. The recent social distancing order meant closing the studio to dancers, and she was pretty devastated to be missing her favorite weekly activity – in addition to everything else. I was thrilled when Lauren Bolick, the owner and one of their teachers, announced