Comedian Roy Wood Jr., tweeted this week: “when ya elected officials switch from the blazer to the polo, shit bout to go down.” And shit has gone down. America is a different place than it was a month ago. And we are all doing the best we can in this upside-down spacetime.
I still haven’t found a decent answer to the question “how are you?” and I admit that I have been checking the news far too often. In the past week, I’ve sat down and cried in a Chicago alley (5 feet too close to a car-flattened rat), hung up the phone on my mom, suggested a “better way” to load the dishwasher to my roommates, and eaten a blueberry off of the floor (produce is valuable these days). So yes. I’ve been a bit of a butt and a nut. But these times are scary.
My problems are really trivial in the grand scheme. My greatest struggle has been navigating my April 1 move to Denver (which is now just slightly delayed) and coping with cuts and uncertainty at work. I work in Asian Tourism, so yes, these past few months at work have been rough and complicated.
But my friends and family are healthy so far, and our downstairs neighbor let me keep a pineapple from their Imperfect Produce order when they fled the city for the bubbleboy air in the burbs. A true pandemic gift!
Exhilarated by simple milk and bread runs, I’m learning to adapt to this new space and that we CAN make a difference in our PJs. I’m practicing new wellness strategies like macro-dosing chocolate chips and refraining from using the word “unprecedented” in a sentence. I’m waiting for my post-quarantine flawless skin to emerge, and today, I drew a rainbow and taped it up in our window for the neighborhood kids to see (but mainly for my own quest for joy).
Despite my current state of optimism and all of the positive things I have just listed, the reality is that I am struggling. I am relatively privileged and I am struggling. My heart goes out to EVERYONE right now. Especially those who are impacted most. Regardless of where you are at, I want to acknowledge that we are ALL struggling. The consistent sound of sirens outside my apartment and conversations with coworkers and friends confirms this. No one is fully OK right now. These pandemic days are passing in waves of optimism, fear, grief, sadness, anger, confusion, stillness, and uncertainty. And to find ourselves in a situation like this can be very scary, testing, and soul destroying. This IS all really scary. But we can do our best to prepare our spirits and adjust our attitudes. Having compassion during these times is key.
Two quotes that have been sloshing around in my skull this week and that I am trying to put to practice are:
No one is useless in the world who lightens the load of others – Charles Dickens
When there is no choice, the only thing to do is surrender, to be open and learn. Everything is the opportunity to practice, the painful experiences as well as the pleasant. Learn to look at your life as a gift, the chance to attain full enlightenment. - Paraphrased from the Buddha
And because humor and belly laughs are as difficult to find as toilet paper right now, here are a few things that are getting me through the week (in no particular order…because unlike you good quarantine folk…I haven’t even organized my closet yet)…..
1) My friend Gracie told me about Ryan Heffington’s mid-day Instagram Live Free dance sessions and they are EVERYTHING. As a two-time grammy nominated choreographer (best known for his choreography of Sia’s music video Chandelier), you’d think that his dance class would include snobby plies and ballerina-quality pirouettes, but NO. Ryan busts moves like “the grocery cart” and “pretty pony” that even your Dad could handle. Check out his schedule/Instagram here and tune in with your quarantine squad (We did!).
2) The Banff Mountain Film Festival graciously released a selection of its outdoor adventure films for free. To access click here or here for the full PDF list with links.
3) Writer and Comedian Michelle Collins wrote an epic piece of comic literature titled “My Boyfriend Andrew Cuomo’s New Girlfriend Is America; Trapped in my apartment, nowhere else to focus my hormones, the governor is the only man speaking directly TO ME for miles around.” It’s published on the Marie Claire website, and it is a bit BASIC. But you’ll love it.
4) This podcast saved my anxiety levels, when I needed it most. Host Elizabeth Day interviews philosopher Alain de Botton, about how to stay sane in during the pandemic.
5) The Big Quiet (the mass meditation movement I attended at the Field Museum this past fall) is now offering Instagram LIVE meditations. Lululemon also released this mediation soundcloud, if you are able to listen from a sunny patch of grass or porch somewhere.
6) I enjoyed reading this article titled “Coronavirus is the Cozy Catastrophe Americans Secretly Crave.” It’s a beautiful piece of writing and draws a parallel between quarantine and Larry David’s joke about the joy of being canceled on and American’s secret enjoyment of quarantine rules: “If somebody cancels on me, that’s a celebration! You don’t have to make up an excuse, it doesn’t matter. Just say you’re canceling, and I’ll go, ‘Fantastic! I’m staying at home, I’m watching TV, thank you!’”
7) Gear Patrol released an excellent list of 27 books all athletes should read and I’m going to start working my way down the list.
8) In animal news: goats are taking over this quarantined Welsh town, Soda Pup is an innovative new dog wine-delivery system, and this dog gos ham on a trampoline.
9) Austin Kleon’s article on What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say. I’ve shared this before, but it seems particularly relavant now.
10) My aunt told me about the Great British Pottery Showdown (free on Youtube), which is exactly the kind of calming British-bake-off meets warm-and-fuzzy-distraction that you need right now.
11) If you haven’t changed out of PJs and wondering what day it is, my friend Heather shared this hilarious short video with me from Trevor Noah’s Social Distancing Show.
12) Sufjan released his new album Aporia early. The 21-track New Age soundtrack makes me feel like I am floating through Outer Space (in a good way). It’s moody, but calm. Smooth, but intense. Half of the album’s proceeds will go to food-focused COVID-19 charities further confirming my belief that Sufjan is amazing.
13) If you need a home work out, Caroline Jordan’s floor barre work outs got me through the winter when I couldn’t run because of my stress fracture.
14) If you are looking for a home project in the next couple of weeks, the North Carolina fabric company I work with is offering 50% off of fat quarters April 3-7th. If you want to sew a dog danna in the near future (I recommend the performance pique fabric) or sew a mask for a nurse you love, check out the designs in my Spoonflower shop.
^^Yes, i drew on some dopey eggs this week and made a little story about losing two of them to an omelette. That was a weird hour. Thank you for bearing with me during it.
And finally, remember to be grateful for the little things. Even if you brush your teeth before noon this week, that is an accomplishment worthy of celebrating. Send your friends a card. Tell the people you love how much they mean to you. Be strong. Be kind. Be Positive. Namaste,
Claire AKA Plum Trevian (My quarantine name…which according to the Twitterati is the last thing you ate + your highschool mascot).