Truckee and North Lake Tahoe Howling for Health Care Workers

Italians inspired us with their music from their balconies. Spain is banging on pots and pans. And now Americans across the country are finding solidarity by howling at 8 pm each night to recognize those working on the frontlines. It’s hard to say where the howl originated but I’ve seen claims of Mill Valley, Denver, and more. Most claims attribute it to a version of the social media movement #SolidarityAt8 which encourages people worldwide to step outside at 8 pm to applaud the frontline workers. It has essentially evolved in unison across the United States and spread across the globe.

In Truckee I first saw signs and social posts about The Howl going on in the Prosser Lakeview neighborhood. I thought it was just going on there until texting with some girlfriends and learned that it was happening in other neighborhoods as well. An unforeseen positive outcome to the Shelter In Place orders in California is that I am seeing more neighbors biking and walking with their families past our home in the Sierra Meadows area. It seems there is more roadside small talk happening beyond the neighborly wave as we are all yearning for social interaction and connection. It was during one of these brief socially distanced encounters that I learned a few people had been howling in my neighborhood. Naturally my nearly 5 year old daughter loved the sound of this. So we stepped outside and joined the crowd and could hear people in all directions howling away. It felt good. We felt connected. It is an acknowledgement to all of those out there risking their lives to keep as many people safe and healthy as possible. It is an acknowledgement of the sacrifice and challenges we are all making and doing to do our part to slow the spread. And it is an acknowledgement that we are all in this together and we’re all right out there, just a howl away from each other.

If you have not heard of the Howl yet I encourage you to spread the word and give it a go. And if you’ve heard about it but not joined in yet, please join us. The whole country is doing it now. It is these acts of solidarity that remind us of our humanity and our connection. It is these acts that will buoy our spirits, keep us afloat, and bring us some light during these challenging times.