Putting "social" back into social distancing.

Next-door neighbors, Donna Lubow and Sari Klein, live in Meadowlake, a quiet enclave of 56 homes in suburban Riverwoods. When the pandemic arrived, they felt the need to reach out to others in their neighborhood to create a sense of community. After 20 years there, they each only knew about ten families.

The two women curtailed many of their activities when the pandemic struck. Lubow had been running a monthly storytelling event at Miramar Bistro in Highwood, which was usually mobbed with people over the age of 50. She had to cancel all her shows from March through August. She is currently running audio versions of stories on the Facebook page of Short Story Theatre, but she bemoans that it's certainly not the same experience as live storytelling.

Klein runs a recruiting business, which has slowed down considerably since the pandemic started, but is beginning to pick up again. The other side of her business, Jump Start the Job Search, remains active assisting job applicants prepare for interviews.

The two neighbors, who are also friends, decided to keep busy during these difficult moments in time by doing something creative that might expand Meadowlake’s sense of community. They decided to launch a weekly newsletter, “Meadowlake Musings,” and emailed it to residents. Everyone was invited to submit stories, jokes and opinions, photos, art, recipes, housecleaning tips, news of birthdays, anniversaries, and even interesting wildlife sightings. It caught on.

They're about to publish their 10th issue. Klein and Lubow both believe that because of the newsletter, socializing has changed in Meadowlake. "We’ve put the social in social distancing!” Now when neighbors are taking a walk, they wave at each other and often stop for a chat, keeping a safe six feet apart. People who once were strangers, are now friends. "We know so many more neighbors than we did before," says Lubow. Klein adds, "And some people who just moved in are getting the sense that Meadowlake is a great place to live because there's a warm-hearted sense of community."

Lubow and Klein plan to keep the weekly newsletter going. When life gets busier, they may switch to a monthly newsletter, and hopefully keep it going long after the pandemic is history.

For information and advice on how to start a community newsletter, contact dramadonna@aol.com.