How are you sleeping these days? Are you getting some exercise and sunlight? In these doldrums of winter, it can be hard to pull ourselves together and find some joy. Maybe just me, but trying to feel optimistic at every turn is getting old. Amiright? Gah.
However! Be assured that better days are ahead! Not only was the THIRD Covid vaccine just approved for emergency use here in the States (yay for the one-shot inoculation by J&J!), but literally, sunnier days are coming. (<–because Daylight Savings starts in about two weeks, March 14).
It occurs to me that we are just moving forwards in life, day by day, pandemic or nah. We are living the actual days of our lives here, so it’s okay to take control over what you can–how you’re eating, how you’re spending some of your time, who you stay connected to. In a few months, this ‘pandemic year’ will be behind us and you can choose what you want to keep in your life. What habit are you going to wish you had started? Or stopped? Be kind to yourself and others, and be on-purpose with what you want.
What is saving your life right now? For me, I will definitely be taking shopping at Costco via Instacart with me into post-pandemic life. There won’t be samples to try any time soon, so why bother trying to find parking? I have loved having things dropped off at my door, hefty tip and all!
What’s working for you right now that you want to keep in the future? Drop me a line and let me know!
Ok, ready for a few ideas for you (and your life) (and the world) to be just a little bit better? Here are 5 quick links to bring you a little joy, a chance to think or to provide a helpful tool to you in 5 (ish) minutes! 🙂
Here is your Hope in 5 (ish) for the week!
- Ready to travel?? I mean, I know…but someone made this virtual vacation website where you can visit a ton of places in the world! At first, I was like this is gonna be lame-o, but it turns out, it was actually very cool! There are live webcams (it was raining in Barcelona), city walking tours, flyovers, driving tours. The live cams, in particular, made me very happy! It was awesome to see people in other places in the world, masked up, just doing there thing. Maybe you can start to plan where future you will go next!
And if you want to remember some places you have been, try the city guesser part of the site. The camera has you at eye-level as you walk down the street and it was neat to be a pedestrian and get the sights and sounds of places that are NOT MY HOUSE. 🙂 I guessed correctly within 2 miles of a city in New Jersey but was 300 miles off on a city in Japan. Guess I’ll have to practice more. 🙂 This would be a fun one to put up on the tv and get your household involved with.
- Maybe you already had a pet and maybe you got a pandemic pet (*raises hand*). Either way–this list of pet products are going to be a game changer for some common pet problems. I definitely need the peanut butter pill paste to hide a certain dog’s fish oil pills in. And it would be nice not to stuff training treats in my pocket when we go on a walk. See if there is anything on the list that might make your life with pets easier.
- *Nerd alert* You guys–I think I’ve found it: a NON-PARTISAN news source! I know, kinda a unicorn. BUT LOOOKEEEE. I came across this site when an informal poll showed that it was the account on Instagram independently recommended by liberals AND moderates AND conservatives. Check out the website (they have a newsletter, too) or follow them on the ‘gram. I thought it was fascinating that all ends of the political spectrum considered them to be a trustworthy source for news. *alert ended*
- I ran across this blog post and I have read it about 5 times now. The title is: A thought experiment–what if nothing ever changed? And it definitely has me thinking. The author talks about how we are always looking for some idealized future (When X, then Y), and how it may never exist. She pens a series of questions that made me pause and consider what I assume will change and what would I do if it doesn’t. It’s a quick, thoughtful read.
- I’m giving you some advance notice so you can prepare for the Oscar’s (April 25th). Here is how to stream all the contenders!
Hugs!
Hopefully,
Melissa 🙂
p.s. Would you mind helping a redhead out? Think of 3 friends or your sister or your co-worker who might enjoy this newsletter and forward this on to them!
p.p.s. Oh heeey! Was this forwarded to you? You can get it sent right to your inbox next week! 🙂
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