Thursday cannon fodder: happy things

Self-isolating during coronavirus is beginning to wear on me a bit. I’m fine, I’ll be fine, and I’m thankful that I have the ability and the means to stay safe. If you’re feeling some of the same things, know you’re not alone and that it’s okay to not be totally okay right now. Even for me, somebody who leaves the apartment less than the average human, being cooped up inside stinks.

I realized a day or two ago that I was overloading myself with negativity from the internet over the state of the world. Cutting back and logging off a bit has helped curb the flow of bad news. I want to take that a step further. I’d like to intentionally introduce good news and positivity into my life and my corner of the internet, and I hope you’ll do the same in the comments.

For me, one of the best things I’ve learned during self-isolation was about a buddy’s 15-month old daughter. It’s nothing huge, but it made me smile. He had called just to say hello and catch up, which is something we should all be doing with our friends right now — check in, make sure all is well, and shoot the breeze. I asked him if she was walking and talking; he said she has gone from wobbling around the house to walking pretty well and that she was learning more words. I asked him what some of them were. He told me that just that day she’d articulated the most complex idea he’d heard from her, “want cheese,” which he (correctly) took to be her asking for cheese. Even though it was almost dinner time, he said he was so proud that she got her piece of cheese anyway.

We’re going to get through all this. It will be easier and seem quicker if we do it together (either remotely or while observing appropriate social distance) and help take care of each other. If you’d like, please share something positive that has happened to you or you’ve heard over the last few weeks.