To be Hopeful in the time of Corona

To give thanks...

Tomorrow is the American celebrated holiday, Thanksgiving. A time which most Americans scatter to various corners of the country to gather around a family table and feast into oblivion. Savoring the warm traditional vestiges of family, food, and thankfulness. For some, a timeless reminder of home that makes all the stress of traveling and minor inconveniences worth it. All for the sake of family time. The sentimental memories, hugs, love, laughter and joy interwoven with the sadness of leaving. For some a much needed break from the mundane daily routines. 2020 has proven to be a deeply driven test of our patience, faith, and moral fiber. A year by no stretch of the imagination has not been a laughing matter as it seemingly teetering on the edge of a Zombie apocalypse which I don't mean to make light of. The year has been one for the history books and sad to say it's not over. The world, especially our country, has been in a persistent spiral of chaos, relenting to an unforgiving virus. COVID-19 and a 2nd equally damaging virus, the HATE virus has infiltrated our loving and often predictable spaces. Threatening and at times killing our spirit, loved ones, leaving us with open wounds that may or may not heal. Our way of life, the manner in which we make our living and the way our children learn has been irrevocably disrupted. Unfortunately, some may not recover from the consequences of this pandemic or from our human frailties. Many are now homeless, jobless, hungry, and at risk for unthinkable outcomes which present new challenges. We have unfortunately learned some hard lessons this year. We have become submerged into the depths of misinformation left wondering who is really at the helm of this ship (aka shit) has left us pondering, when are the aliens showing up? For many gathering around the Thanksgiving table, this year will not feel or look the same as it did years before.

We've had to think outside the box as a way of survival and protection for one another. Changes to our behaviour such as our greetings, affection, shopping, working and the elimination of our long-winded departures has made us a different community. We had to learn how to use Zoom and what the proper etiquette for Zooming was? Many of the workforce was pushed to working remotely, where we became more reliant on technology and having a strong WiFi signal. As a result, our connections and relationships with each other have approached a new level of living and staying in touch. Parents have adapted to teaching their kids while working remotely carefully balancing their time while staying on task safely indoors. Some of us had to adapt in hosting or canceling events such as weddings, graduations, to opt for drive-by birthday parties or no contact nursing home visits. It's called the "New Normal". Healthcare and frontline essential workers have been overwhelmed fulfilling the demands of their jobs in the most "PPE" kind of way while protecting their personal health, maintaining their sanity and attempting to preserve their dedicated souls. Rather than dwelling on chaos and the uncertainty of the year, I would like to take the opportunity to challenge ourselves to be more hopeful. Taking deep breaths and drinking more wine aren't the only ways to decompress. Perhaps I could share some of the songs I find uplifting and inspirational. Music can heal, motivate and alter our moods. Maybe together we can dance the rest of this year out. In addition, I pulled together some positive quotes that might touch someone, in hopes of helping them get through the day or the coming New Year. Yes, 2021 is fast approaching, a new opportunity to begin to restore our dreams , create new memories with an over abundance of love and joy.

Below I compiled together with my family a little playlist on Spotify called "Positive Vibes 2020". If you have a Spotify account you can add it as one of your playlist. If you don't have Spotify or use some other music streaming service I have typed out the song list so you may pick and choose songs you may wish to listen or add. Enjoy.