There’s plenty around to drag a person down these days, so I thought I’d take the opposite spin and share a few of the things that have made me smile and given me a little bit of hope in the face of so much tragedy and turmoil lately…
Innovation in Food Service
Restaurants are getting hit pretty hard right now with most not able to actually serve in their dining rooms, yet it impresses me how many have done everything that they can to embrace the takeout and delivery models to keep their employees working and paid. I think it’s great to see the extra thought that many have put into “contactless delivery” to help dispel the fear of even that minimal contact with your delivery driver.
We’ve even got a local pizza place that has turned their dining room into a donation center where customers can pick up a couple of rolls of toilet paper or other essentials if they’re in need!
Creativity in Education
It’s hard enough to get adults to pay attention during conference calls, so the idea of teaching kids all the way down to kindergarten age online is a daunting one to say the least, but so far I’ve been really impressed with how my sons’ teachers are doing their very best to work with what they have and try to connect with their kids at whatever level they can.
And even after only a few days and lots of struggles, they’re starting to get more engaged – my oldest son would barely talk on his first Zoom call with his teacher and class, but now he’s laughing and enjoying sharing time with his friends, listening to his teacher read to them and answer questions about the work they’re doing online, and generally just trying to bridge the digital divide that has been thrust upon everyone.
I thought it was really cute on Friday when she announced to everyone that it was funny hat day and how all of the kids needed to run and find a silly hat so that she could take a group picture of everyone together on the screen! 😉
Heartfelt Gratitude for Medicine
If there’s one angle of this pandemic that most of us can relate to the least, it’s for those doctors and nurses on the front lines actually facing COVID-19 head-on and doing their best to care for the people who get it.
My wife told me recently about being brought to tears along with her coworkers upon learning that people had left chalk drawings and signs of support in their parking lot around the hospital where she works. Some even waited in the parking lot until change of shift so that they could thank them as they were coming and going from work, while others drove a parade of cars around the hospital honking and cheering for everything that they were doing to help fight this horrible virus.
It’s easy to get caught up in the dire negative and feel like there’s no end in sight, but there are good things happening out there, too.