As a public service, Judith Heft & Associates will be assisting low- and no-income individuals  get their stimulus checks by helping them fill out the proper forms. This service is for people who are not required to pay taxes because of their income. This service can’t help you if you were lazy or procrastinated too much — this is for people with almost no income. 

What’s it like being over 60 and considered “at risk”? Well, the first thing I had to do was accept the fact that strangers would give me subtle medical advice. Then there were the friends and family shouting “YOU ARE AT RISK!” I chafed against it at first, but quickly saw that it came with benefits: I have legions of people picking things up for me whenever they are out.   

Being “at risk” really isn’t so bad — I have to endure the same rules as everyone else at this stage, so it’s not unfair. Quarantine is what you make of it: 

•I talk to my accountability buddy every morning for 10 minutes. That’s helpful because we go over what we did the day before — and if I didn’t do something, I ask her to hold me to it for the next day. 

•I join a gratitude call with a few women every morning. It makes me think about what I’m grateful for that day and in what capacity I get to be on that day. 

•I signed up for a yoga class once a week, taught by a friend of mine who is an instructor in New York. I never was able to take her class, but I’m glad she helps me stretch my cat-like body nowadays. 

•I get out for walks when the weather’s nice. It’s my big activity! It also really nourishes my sense of well-being. 

When this is all over, I think I’ll have a new appreciation for people who are “at risk” 365 days out of the year — like people with compromised immune systems. I hope I’ll never forget how dangerous invisible things can be, and how my actions can so profoundly affect other people.

Judith Heft & Associates reminds you that this, too, shall pass.