Stay-at-Home update as of 3/30/20
3/30/20
Staycation day #10. Quote of the day: "Live as if everything was rigged in your favor" (Rumi)
Song of the day: https://youtu.be/tAGnKpE4NCI
Staycation day #10. Quote of the day: "Live as if everything was rigged in your favor" (Rumi)
Song of the day: https://youtu.be/tAGnKpE4NCI
3/29/20
Corona-cation day #9. Doing a bit of reading, and came across this Zen story:
"A man was walking across a field when he saw a tiger. He fled, but the tiger ran after him. Coming to the edge of a cliff,
he saw the root of a wild vine. Grabbing onto it, he swung himself down over the edge, out of reach of the tiger. He was safe!
The tiger came to the edge and sniffed him from above. Trembling, the man looked down and saw another ferocious tiger
prowling below. Only the thin vine held him. Two mice, one white and one black, scurried out of a nearby nest on the cliff
and began gnawing at the vine. As they chewed, the man saw a luscious strawberry on a nearby ledge. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. Ahh, how sweet it tasted!"
There are quite a few interpretations and perceived lessons in this story. I am curious, what's your take? What would you do?
Song of the day: "No time for love like now", by Michael Stipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYgpEcXf2S4 (not on Spotify yet)
Corona-cation day #9. Doing a bit of reading, and came across this Zen story:
"A man was walking across a field when he saw a tiger. He fled, but the tiger ran after him. Coming to the edge of a cliff,
he saw the root of a wild vine. Grabbing onto it, he swung himself down over the edge, out of reach of the tiger. He was safe!
The tiger came to the edge and sniffed him from above. Trembling, the man looked down and saw another ferocious tiger
prowling below. Only the thin vine held him. Two mice, one white and one black, scurried out of a nearby nest on the cliff
and began gnawing at the vine. As they chewed, the man saw a luscious strawberry on a nearby ledge. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. Ahh, how sweet it tasted!"
There are quite a few interpretations and perceived lessons in this story. I am curious, what's your take? What would you do?
Song of the day: "No time for love like now", by Michael Stipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYgpEcXf2S4 (not on Spotify yet)
3/28/20
Stay at home day #8. Yesterday I reached out to our members to see if they want to terminate their memberships, or keep them going in light of this crisis. I was taken aback by the comments of encouragement and support. We have the best clients ever!!!!!
I have been spending a fair amount of time on conference calls these days. Most of them go like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ
And here is the song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I Perhaps Lady gaga wants to revisit the lyrics in light of the current situation ("I want your everything, I want your disease" - really??!!) but hey! it's still a good song!
Stay at home day #8. Yesterday I reached out to our members to see if they want to terminate their memberships, or keep them going in light of this crisis. I was taken aback by the comments of encouragement and support. We have the best clients ever!!!!!
I have been spending a fair amount of time on conference calls these days. Most of them go like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ
And here is the song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I Perhaps Lady gaga wants to revisit the lyrics in light of the current situation ("I want your everything, I want your disease" - really??!!) but hey! it's still a good song!
3/27/20
Stay at home day #7. I didn't stay at home because it's payroll day, and that is as essential as it gets. Many thanks to those clients who reached out and want to help us by keeping their memberships active; every little bit helps with the monthly bills, from health insurance for our staff to scheduling system software subscriptions, etc
Todays' song is in memory of our late instructor and friend, Tom Mertes, who loved teaching his hands-on classes to the sound of Mongolian drum music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4xZUr0BEfE
Stay at home day #7. I didn't stay at home because it's payroll day, and that is as essential as it gets. Many thanks to those clients who reached out and want to help us by keeping their memberships active; every little bit helps with the monthly bills, from health insurance for our staff to scheduling system software subscriptions, etc
Todays' song is in memory of our late instructor and friend, Tom Mertes, who loved teaching his hands-on classes to the sound of Mongolian drum music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4xZUr0BEfE
3/26/20
Stay at home day #6. Meeting (remote) with the staff today to touch base and see how everyone.
Sia is always fun to listen to, so our Day #6 song is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYh-n7EOtMA
I am adding these songs to a Spotify list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/480B4XixwVqTjXVVZkkINf?si=NeUUn6pDSUOZ-kfT6K2sng
Stay at home day #6. Meeting (remote) with the staff today to touch base and see how everyone.
Sia is always fun to listen to, so our Day #6 song is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYh-n7EOtMA
I am adding these songs to a Spotify list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/480B4XixwVqTjXVVZkkINf?si=NeUUn6pDSUOZ-kfT6K2sng
3/25/20
Stay at home #5. What a beautiful morning! Listened to the press conference yesterday on the bill that was passed and measures to combat the COVID-19 spread, glad to see everyone working together (well, mostly, but still moving things forward). A lot of people are rolling their eyes at the statements about "re-opening" the country by Easter, but anyone who's run a major project knows that unless there is an aggressive goal nothing ever gets done, I am sure they will adjust timelines as needed. We all need to be optimistic, smart, and keep marching forward. On this end, we have 32 therapists who can't wait to get back to work when it is safe to do so.
Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wtfhZwyrcc
Stay at home #5. What a beautiful morning! Listened to the press conference yesterday on the bill that was passed and measures to combat the COVID-19 spread, glad to see everyone working together (well, mostly, but still moving things forward). A lot of people are rolling their eyes at the statements about "re-opening" the country by Easter, but anyone who's run a major project knows that unless there is an aggressive goal nothing ever gets done, I am sure they will adjust timelines as needed. We all need to be optimistic, smart, and keep marching forward. On this end, we have 32 therapists who can't wait to get back to work when it is safe to do so.
Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wtfhZwyrcc
3/24/20
Stay-at-home day#4. I just came across the course "Science of Well Being" offered by Yale on Coursera. The course is free and starts today! You will find it here: https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being
Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE
Stay-at-home day#4. I just came across the course "Science of Well Being" offered by Yale on Coursera. The course is free and starts today! You will find it here: https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being
Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE
3/23/20
Stay-at-home day #3. A narrative on descending modulation as key factor behind the pain relieving aspects of massage and other manual therapies appeared in my feed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4695672/ A quick look outside gives reassurance that mother nature wants us to stay indoors.
Day 3 song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0hyYWKXF0Q
Stay-at-home day #3. A narrative on descending modulation as key factor behind the pain relieving aspects of massage and other manual therapies appeared in my feed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4695672/ A quick look outside gives reassurance that mother nature wants us to stay indoors.
Day 3 song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0hyYWKXF0Q
3/22/20
Stay-at-home day #2. Lots of activity, setting up online classes for our students, because the show must go on...
Day 2 song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg1BljLu9YY
Stay-at-home day #2. Lots of activity, setting up online classes for our students, because the show must go on...
Day 2 song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg1BljLu9YY
3/21/20
The Illinois Governor has issued a statewide stay-at-home order, from 5PM on Saturday, 3/21/20 through April 7, 2020.
Based on the governor's announcement, our expected re-opening day as of now is April 8, 2020. If anything changes we will post here.
So, that we can continue to put some "energy" out there, I will be posting a link to my favorite songs here. One a day, until we reopen :)
Here is for day 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI
Emmanuel Bistas
Owner
The Illinois Governor has issued a statewide stay-at-home order, from 5PM on Saturday, 3/21/20 through April 7, 2020.
Based on the governor's announcement, our expected re-opening day as of now is April 8, 2020. If anything changes we will post here.
So, that we can continue to put some "energy" out there, I will be posting a link to my favorite songs here. One a day, until we reopen :)
Here is for day 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI
Emmanuel Bistas
Owner
3/20/20
We have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation and following CDC, city, and state guidelines. All data currently points in a direction that favors closure of all business establishments that offer non-essential personal and healthcare services.
We will suspend operations starting today, 3/20/20, at 5PM. We will re-open when it is safe to do so, hopefully in a couple weeks.
On the school side, lecture classes will continue online; hands-on classes and student clinic are delayed.
We plan to use this time productively, working on projects, taking care of ourselves and those close to us - we hope that you will do the same. All kinds of great and positive things can come out of this crisis, as long as we keep our collective chin up and remember that it always gets better.
Please note that all gift certificates and special deals will be extended as result of this temporary closure. Also, as you know, our membership sessions are valid as long as your membership is active, so any sessions earned during this time will be available for you to use when we reopen.
We are going to be working remotely, answering the phones, responding to emails, etc. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
We can be back to serve you very soon. We will be in touch!
Be well, be safe!
Emmanuel Bistas
Owner
We have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation and following CDC, city, and state guidelines. All data currently points in a direction that favors closure of all business establishments that offer non-essential personal and healthcare services.
We will suspend operations starting today, 3/20/20, at 5PM. We will re-open when it is safe to do so, hopefully in a couple weeks.
On the school side, lecture classes will continue online; hands-on classes and student clinic are delayed.
We plan to use this time productively, working on projects, taking care of ourselves and those close to us - we hope that you will do the same. All kinds of great and positive things can come out of this crisis, as long as we keep our collective chin up and remember that it always gets better.
Please note that all gift certificates and special deals will be extended as result of this temporary closure. Also, as you know, our membership sessions are valid as long as your membership is active, so any sessions earned during this time will be available for you to use when we reopen.
We are going to be working remotely, answering the phones, responding to emails, etc. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
We can be back to serve you very soon. We will be in touch!
Be well, be safe!
Emmanuel Bistas
Owner
3/15/20
We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and following CDC, city, and state guidelines. We have determined that it is safe to remain open, with some changes, at this time and do not expect any interruptions unless there is a change in the guidelines.
The safety of our staff and clients, and cleanliness of our operation have been our top priority since day 1. We have a dedicated cleaning person on staff and take pride in our cleaning and sanitation protocols. If you have been our client for some time, you already know that.
Because of the intensity of this situation we have stepped up our precautions: we are modifying our schedule to ensure that only few people are on premises at any given time, we are disinfecting surfaces such as door handles, counter tops, etc. hourly, having masks available for our staff and clients if requested, and having disinfecting wipes available in every room, to name a few.
We understand that self-care is high priority for our clients, especially at this time, and we are not going to run away when you need us the most. Please know that we are here to help.
Massage is an excellent tool in helping one care for their body, mind, and spirit but do not wait until you are unwell to receive massage therapy.
If you have fever, flu symptoms and/or cough, you must wait until two weeks after your symptoms have passed before scheduling a massage appointment. Late cancelled appointments, or appointments that we terminate due to you being ill are subject to our late cancellation policy. Same day appointments are usually available.
Although we must all remain vigilant at this time, there is no doubt that life will return back to normal very soon. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of our availability via social media. To check appointment availability, please visit www.rivernorthmassage.com
In health and wellness,
Emmanuel Bistas
Owner
We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and following CDC, city, and state guidelines. We have determined that it is safe to remain open, with some changes, at this time and do not expect any interruptions unless there is a change in the guidelines.
The safety of our staff and clients, and cleanliness of our operation have been our top priority since day 1. We have a dedicated cleaning person on staff and take pride in our cleaning and sanitation protocols. If you have been our client for some time, you already know that.
Because of the intensity of this situation we have stepped up our precautions: we are modifying our schedule to ensure that only few people are on premises at any given time, we are disinfecting surfaces such as door handles, counter tops, etc. hourly, having masks available for our staff and clients if requested, and having disinfecting wipes available in every room, to name a few.
We understand that self-care is high priority for our clients, especially at this time, and we are not going to run away when you need us the most. Please know that we are here to help.
Massage is an excellent tool in helping one care for their body, mind, and spirit but do not wait until you are unwell to receive massage therapy.
If you have fever, flu symptoms and/or cough, you must wait until two weeks after your symptoms have passed before scheduling a massage appointment. Late cancelled appointments, or appointments that we terminate due to you being ill are subject to our late cancellation policy. Same day appointments are usually available.
Although we must all remain vigilant at this time, there is no doubt that life will return back to normal very soon. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of our availability via social media. To check appointment availability, please visit www.rivernorthmassage.com
In health and wellness,
Emmanuel Bistas
Owner