Monday night, March 30, at 8 p.m. “Howl to Relieve Stress”
Belaida Medkour suggested on Facebook a “Community Primal Scream Therapy” the night of March 29. Meanwhile, Dr. Liz Erley also started on Facebook on March 30 a “Neighborhood Howl.” The next day, Erley reported, “Thanks Lyons Community for coming outside tonight at 8 p.m. to howl in solidarity. Not only did it relieve some stress but nice to be part of Lyons. I think we should do this again next Monday at 8 p.m.” Many people contacted her and said they would like to see this happening every week.
Friday night, April 3, at 7 p.m. “Shout Out to First Responders”
“I love the howl that Liz started! I think the more things our town can do in solidarity and to keep connected, the better,” says Rebecca Hayden. “This cheer specifically is for healthcare and public service workers and is becoming a national occurrence, so it is good to keep it in addition to the Monday night howl.” Dr. Liz Erley and Rebecca Hayden have talked about combining their two projects into one nightly project.
Pinewood Springs
The Pinewood Springs neighborhood has been enthusiastically joining in with the nightly howls. Here are some of the comments this week:
“I was howling on upper Kiowa, but I think my first try sounded like a rooster. Better warm up next time. But it really sounded great up here.”
“We could hear all of you crazy people across the highway! LOL”
“I howled, and our dog tried to join in. It was obviously very exciting and confusing for her. Great howl, my friends”
“That was fun! My first time but got choked up.”
“There were a lot of good howls out there tonight. I lubricated my vocal cords with tequila, and they didn’t hurt as bad tonight.”
Rebecca Hayden put together some thoughts on the howls:
In times of such uncertainty, it is more than natural to become caught in fear and anxiety. Two powerful forces combat these overwhelming feelings and keep us strong: unity and gratitude. We are Lyons-strong, full of grit, and a community of genuine people with a strong history of supporting our neighbors through hard times.
The Lyons Howl has been a wonderful way for our Lyons and surrounding communities to connect and support one another as we isolate. It’s grown into a nightly ritual to express our deepest gratitude for our Carers: our nurses, doctors, CNAs, hospital workers, police, EMS, fire, military, grocery, delivery, post office and all essential workers. Sending these selfless hearts our sincere gratitude and strength is incredibly important while they put themselves on the line to keep us all safe.
As we amplify gratitude and hope through our unified Howl, we are joined by our greater community as other towns howl around the state of Colorado. And beyond that, our entire nation and countries across the globe are coming together nightly to create sound as a unified community of humans navigating this storm. When we come together to howl and cheer, we know that we are only separate, together.
Join the ritual at 8 p.m. each night. Open your doors and howl, cheer, honk, drum–share a moment of solidarity and gratitude from the safety of your home. Remember we’re in this together, and energetically send strength and love to our Carers.
Amplify the strength of the how – post your Howl photos + videos on social media. Tag a healthcare or essential worker in your life, or send it to them in a text. Thank them daily, ask how you can support them through this. Help to generate strength and power for them while they are on the front lines for us.