Staying Positive

I've been accused of being too positive at various times in my life. But not so much lately, it's been hard adjusting to all of this, hasn't it? So much is up in the air and unknown and just plain scary. So here's a few things I've found helpful lately to keep my spirits up.

I read this essay by Rebecca Solnit "The Impossible Has Already Happened, what Coronavirus can teach us about hope." and it just...helped.

Thanks to the weekly Brain Pickings newsletter (which I really recommend subscribing to) here's an amazingly moving performance by David Byrne and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus of one of the most uplifting songs I've heard in absolutely ages.



Recently reading Anne Lamott's recent book, Almost Everything, Notes on Hope.

Reading this from UC  Irvine about why how and why our sense of time is being changed by the coronavirus. It helped me put things in perspective.

Reading this from Chuck Wendig about how we are all Calvin & Hobbes in quarantine.

Another thing that has brough me some joy is watching the SF Opera's free streaming on the weekends. So far we've watched two, and it's been absolutely captivating. The costumes and backdrops are amazing. Last weekend's was "The Capulets and The Montague"s" which is not based on Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare but instead on a 1600's popular story instead. It was beautifully done and a nice little twist on the familiar tale. The previous week it was Mephistopheles, and it was delicious. Here's a little treat that some of the opera folks are doing from home:




Turns out that watching musical performances is a great distraction for me, it reminds me of the beauty my fellow human beings continue to create. That gives me a lot of hope. This Wednesday I'm going to watch the Dave Matthews Band, they're replaying a different live performance every week.

Hope you're doing well and staying safe & healthy!