The Leprechan Let Down
3/17/2020. St. Patrick’s Day. Tuesday. I have two new clients on my schedule this afternoon and I have my granddaughter Neala with me as well. The massage room is hers for another day and she is excited. I planned a fun activity for both of us. Do a jiggling video LIVE on Facebook. It will be a little embarrassing for me with my heaviness and bouncing boobs and all, but it will be fun. We need some humor today in light of all the Covid-19 stuff that is escalating. If I help one person by doing it, then great. After I picked up Neala, we ran to Menards on the off chance I could find a few particle construction masks for my office. It was a thought, but I knew my chances were limited. Of course they were out, so we grabbed some snacks, bottled water, etc.
City-wide changes were happening fast and furious. Recommendations for closing restaurants in the region were starting. Bars were being ordered to close down. Take out or curbside food pick up recommendations only. Minnesota schools were suddenly and surprisingly closed despite the adamant news press they would remain open just a few days prior. Rumors that the MN Governor might shut down massage establishments, etc. Given the gathering limits of 10 or less, it made sense. Social distancing…makes even more sense but gas stations, grocery stores, food service, people at check-outs, etc were not at 6-feet based on their proximity.
My business is not a large Massage practice. It’s primarily a Myofascial Release practice with just myself and a recently hired PRN Massage therapist. No Massage appointments are on the schedule. I have a slower week with about 8 hours of appointments on the books. Not too atypical from where things were in late 2019. A little slow, but a good week. One person in, one person out…but the timeframe is 60-90 minutes in an enclosed room and I still cannot maintain the recommend 6-foot social distance.
Should I stay open? Should I close? Should I increase precautions? Most therapists I know are on the fence with what to do. It’s their livelihood with little to no safety net. The second half of 2019 I struggled financially as I attempted to grow my business. Not getting paid personally for nearly 8 months while paying an employee left me in more debt than I have been in years. Securing a line of credit and a business loan to ensure I could pay my employee (my daughter Kari). She got a job with the WI Post Office in January, so the financial burden I was feeling was over. I was glad to provide her a safe landing spot during a difficult time in her life, but financially it was killing me and she knew it.
Business had just picked up dramatically in late December and was hitting records in my office – Finally! I felt like I finally had made it and could start paying off my debt again. I could start paying myself again…and now I risked losing everything if I closed. It didn’t matter. Finances were not worth risking the public to this ever-growing, rapidly spreading Coronavirus that was now considered a global Pandemic.
I made the decision to close my office from today, 3/16/20 through the end of the month. Hopefully that would be all that would be necessary to “lessen the curve” so to speak. I notified Taryn that I was closing the office. She let me know that Eagle’s Nest, her other Massage Therapy employer, was closed until April 15. She took her daughter out of daycare at this point since there was no work for her.
My first appointment was scheduled for 1pm. I started calling and cancelling everything. I don’t know my new clients. Are they high risk? Could they possibly be infected? All new clients were going to be deferred due to my impending my office closure. My existing clients…I had a few options for them, but primarily my decision was to defer appointments until at least the end of March. The two I was most concerned with were people in the middle of a program. One was coming weekly for two more weeks and doing great. The other had two more appointments scheduled Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Covid-19 had not hit our region yet, we were healthy. All appointments were pushed out or on hold except the program to finish this week. The requirement was that both of us would wear masks, my client would wash her hands/hand-wipe upon entry and all surfaces would be cleaned after each appointment.
I searched YouTube on how to make homemade masks since I didn’t have one. I found one that used a bra cup, bra strap, and a small piece of fabric. It sounded perfect. I would make it at home before my appointment on Wednesday.
I shared the decision with my husband. He had mixed feelings of course. Upset that “he” still has to work when he is really at risk working as a mechanic on people’s messy cars (filth at times) and that his income alone will not carry our bills. Still, it was the right decision to respect my at-risk clients. In reality, it was a forced closure due to Government Mandate.
Check out my blog titled: “All About the Goofy Mask”
