Mediocre Mom's COVID Mission Menu

"Put your hand out anywhere," I used to say to my kids when they said they couldn't find something in the fridge to fulfill their craving. Once they touched something, they weren't far from creating their vision. Ten years later, I realize this is not only my default position for parenting but any type of fulfillment.

The world is in disrepair. If you are feeling unsatisfied, put your hand out anywhere in your community, neighborhood, or your world and help someone do anything related to anything. I promise you that you are not very far away from getting what you need by helping someone else.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a bit of a lecture, and maybe it is. Perhaps you are helping everyone. You may be about to go crazy and lock yourself in your bunker. Conceivably, you are in your beach house with a case of wine you had sourced from all your favorite vacations around the world. But if you are well and stable, but still a little hungry for something to satisfy your needs, then I can help point you in the right direction.

Below you will find the Mediocre Mom's COVID Mission Menu. Pick something, anything off this list. By all means, put the oxygen mask on yourself first. But when you have caught up on more Netflix than you ever consumed in your life, and you still find yourself with a craving, the only way to find yourself is by giving yourself away. Start anywhere. Who knows where it could lead you?

Mediocre Mom's COVID Mission Menu

1. Spend 15 minutes on GoFundMe to find a project, passion, or payment you want to click and add to the basket. This one helps feed needy Elmhurst-Area Families.
2. Pray for 3 people you don't know or frequently pray for. When in doubt, pray for the Illinois foster kids who are now homeless because they have tested positive for Coronavirus, and their foster parents have died of Coronavirus. (Pray for their social workers, too.)
3. Write an inspirational note, prayer, or joke to a nurse and send it to me at renataskitchen@gmail.com. I will send it with a healthy meal to the Chicago-Area COVID nurses who are putting their lives at risk every day.(See Renata's Kitchen Cooks for Chicago Nurses).
4. Give a cash tip to your grocery store clerk.
5. Send a handwritten note to someone you love.
6. Save a life: Don't congregate with your neighbors. Your happy hour might be an elderly person's worst nightmare.
7. Save a life: Don't cross state lines to your lake house if your non-home state has kindly requested you stay away until the "Stay in Place" order has been lifted.
8. Pay your cleaning crew, hairdresser, or any service person you can afford to pay, even if you do not plan on using them again.
9. Google a local church and ask them how you can help. (Here's my favorite!) Elmhurst Presbyterian Church. We worship online each Sunday, and you can find us on Facebook and Instagram, where we are devoted to helping support the most vulnerable members of our community.
10. Drop a bottle of hand sanitizer or a roll of toilet paper off at any neighbor's house, who is a first responder.

Please feel free to share this Mission Menu with anyone who could use a little inspiration to find something they are craving. Sometimes you don't know how strong you are until you give away your surplus resources, and find yourself completely satisfied.