While the world unites in a common effort to heal itself, it's helpful to look every day for images and words of inspiration and meaning. The more I open myself up to those messages, the more they reveal themselves.
This is the first time in history that the whole world has faced a challenge together and our best scientists, doctors, leaders, and thinkers are collaborating to find a cure. That's a point of light.
When scientists work together across borders to search for a cure, we stay at home to #flattenthecurve, when neighbors volunteer to shop for their neighbors who can't leave their homes and when we sing and dance for one another across balconies and borders and in chat rooms across the globe, we are a force for good!
When the healing is done, let's hope that we'll open our doors to step outside to a better place for everyone.
With love & light, Kathy (mom to a few of you)
(I'll update daily)
The only thing we can control is how we respond to this challenge. It's an opportunity to be especially caring for one another and ourselves.
Headspace is offering free memberships to healthcare workers, special meditations for New Yorkers who are going through especially challenging times and for all of us doing our best to remember that bright blue sky as the clouds come storming in, there are even more exercises and calming meditations, offered free of charge, during this pandemic.
👉🏽NEW SOURCES FOR MASKS👈🏽
Hawthorne-based For Days is selling machine-washable double-layer organic cotton masks in five-packs (five additional masks are donated to nurses, doctors and firefighters) manufactured at its closed-loop zero-waste facility. Venice Beach’s Onzie is upcycling yoga fabric to create face coverings for South L.A.’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital and UCLA nurses and also selling them online with proceeds directed to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.Sanctuary is putting together resources to produce millions of masks for medical workers while also creating Essential Lifestyle masks in five-packs for purchase online.
Sleep in. Meditate. Read. Be with 🍃nature. Call someone you haven't connected with in a while. Journal. Create. Be playful. Cook. Garden. Recharge🌱 Be grateful. HEAL💫
For an ECOTHERAPEUTIC MEDITATION that will quietly and quickly transport yourself to a calm, blissful place in the simplest way, you only need a smart phone, tablet or computer. You won't believe how much calmer you'll feel. . .
AND NOW...
It's time for "Some Good News" !!!
I LOVE THIS MAN❤️ WHAT A TIME FOR GOOD NEWS IT IS!
THANK YOU #JOHNKRASINSKI FOR YOUR AMAZING DOSE OF "SOME GOOD NEWS" #somegoodnews
When John said "I'm very well aware I'm only delivering The Good News, YOU'RE THE GOOD NEWS," well, you just gotta see this for yourself.... and be prepared to laugh to the point of tears! @lin_.manuel_miranda @johnkrasinski @emilybluntofficial @robertdenirodaily #parentseverywhereonstrike #marypoppinsreturns #payteachersmillionsmore #morewineplease #stayhomesavelives
WE. NEED. MORE. OF. THIS.
Matisse found inspiration after a long battle with illness. He said that only what he created afterward constituted his real self, "free and liberated."
Happiness depends on three things: Something to do, Someone to love, Something to look forward to. by Emmanuel Kant
💫STAY OPTIMISTIC💫
Want to Do Your Part?
Here's a list of services that need our community support.
🌏 🌳 We are in this together! 🌳 🌏
(I will continue to update...)
We need to protect frontline responders. More responders on the frontline means more capacity at our hospitals, and more people will get the care they need. Here's a way to help....
STAY HEALTHY
We all have to stay well, not only so we can kick Coronavirus' ass but also so we can take care of other's who might need our help, like older family members and neighbors who need to stay #saferathome. Apple has a website and a new app that, in true 🍏 form, are quick and easy to use and will give you guidance in knowing if you or someone you care about needs to be seen by a doctor or tested for COVID-19. Apple promises it will not collect or store users' answers to the questionnaire, although they will collect anonymous information from the platform.
Wash your hands and wear a mask when in public (see above). It's crazy out there trying to snag a bottle of hand sanitizer, so leave it to American ingenuity to step up! Krobar Craft Distillery in San Luis Obsipo County, California is now making hand sanitizer using distilled wine grapes and essential oils. For every bottle of sanitizer ordered, the distillery says it will give a bottle to first responders. DTLA distiller, Amass has created a hand sanitizer, available to order online, containing 70 percent alcohol and a mix of botanicals, such as clove, eucalyptus and allspice. What’s more is, a portion of production is donated to healthcare professionals and nonprofit organizations working to protect and support at-risk populations nationwide. Blinking Owl, was launched in 2016 as the first distillery to open in Orange County since Prohibition. Known for products such as aquavit and its OC Orange Flavored Vodka, made using local fruit, Blinking Owl’s Dirty Bird hand sanitizer can be ordered online and is available in sizes ranging from 16 ounces to a 55-gallon drum. So far the company has donated over $10,000 in product to SoCal hospitals, including Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey, CHOC Children’s Hospital, UCLA Medical Center, as well as some local restaurants.
REACHING OUT TO THE HUNGRY AND HOMELESS
Feeding America has established a COVID-19 Response Fund to help food banks across the country support those facing hunger in communities impacted by COVID-19.
Meals on Wheels needs donations and additional volunteers in order to continue to provide meals to seniors during the COVID-19 crisis.
Save the Children and No Kid Hungry are teaming up to feed kids who depend on school for healthy meals. They’re also providing resources for helping kids cope with extended school closures and advocating for Congress to pass emergency food funding for low-income families.
Blessings in a Backpack is an organization that works to feed low-income students over weekends when schools are closed. You can help them get bags of food to those kids when their schools close.
World Central Kitchen, founded by chef José Andrés to provide emergency food relief to areas hit by disasters has stepped up in this emergency by creating #ChefsForAmerica. WCK delivers fresh, wholesome meals to schools and communities in need by setting up a network of kitchens. You can go online to see if your school or community is listed as one targeted for help, or ask for assistance. They need financial contributions and volunteers. (Read this NYT article to learn more)
Project Night Night supports the emotional and educational needs of the nation's thousands of homeless children and their families, who without secure housing, are facing significant health risks from this pandemic.
It's inspiring to see individuals and communities coming together to support each other and fill the gaps! Here in California the California Community Foundation (CCF) launched the COVID-19 LA County Response Fund to address the immediate and emerging needs of our region’s most vulnerable residents—from hardship relief to long-term recovery. The 1st round of 70 grants focuses on the needs of Youth, Homeless, Immigrants, Uninsured & Under-Insured. Click here to learn more. And Sean Penn's non-profit, CORE is working with the LA Mayor’s Office and the Los Angeles Fire Department to provide free drive-through testing for high-risk individuals.
Groundbreaking programs, policies and campaigns that work to end violence against women and children worldwide is compounded by the isolation of the current distancing measures brought on by COVID-19. Please take a look at the work of at Futures Without Violence.
Support your local restaurants. Delivery apps will bring the food to your doorstep and many places are even offering market boxes filled with fresh fruits and vegetables...and a bonus of toilet paper! There's also gift cards..."Gift cards are like interest free loans" said Steve McHugh, reported in the Washington Post.
If you want to send food to family members who are need to protect themselves because of age or underlying health issues #stayhomesavelives, there are some great delivery services that will bring fresh produce to their door. Serving the eastern part of the country is Misfits Market, which has all organic produce that is "slightly funny looking" at a 40% savings. Be kind to the "slightly funny looking!" Serving the western part of the United States is Imperfect Foods, sending food with character to those you care about directly to their front door at a savings.
For fish, chicken and meet delivered to your door, check out Crowd Cow. We should all be doing our part to #flattenthecurve and stay home so the doctors and nurses on the front lines can come home sooner.
Plan for the future with the most well thought out emergency back pack ever. These brilliant emergency packs at Unchartered Supply Co are designed by a team of adventurers and philanthropists bent on taking the worst case scenario and turning it into a somewhat-unpleasant-but-survivable scenario.
SUPPORTING FAMILIES AND CHILDREN...OURS AND OTHERS
Parents already have a huge job and at-home teaching on top of eveything else can be daunting. Scholastic Learn at Home has created free resources for school closures. Check out their day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing
J.K Rowling and her team have announced a special, open licence for teachers to read the seven Harry Potter books aloud to their pupils in virtual read-a-long sessions on video. This means if you’re a teacher you’ll be able to record yourself reading Harry’s Hogwarts adventures and share these with your pupils online! And for parents (and the rest of us fans) there's Hogwarts-online on WizardingWorld.com. JUST WOW!
Baby2Baby is collecting financial donations to purchase, transport, and distribute basic necessities for low-income families, including diapers, wipes, blankets, hygiene products, clothing, and school supplies. Baby2Baby is Los Angeles–based, but it maintains a large national network of family foundations and diaper banks.
Good+Foundation is a national nonprofit supporting low-income parents and caregivers. It is asking for monetary donations to the Good+ Crisis Fund, which will support the families and sister organizations that rely on Good+ throughout the coronavirus crisis and during the period of recovery that will follow. You can donate by visiting the website or texting “GoodPlus” to 44321. Corporations can donate car seats, strollers, and clothing to their New York and Los Angeles warehouses.
First Book is working to deliver 7 million books to low income school children, many of whom don't have access to computers.
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger. The CDC offers great a terrific list of resources for yourself and others who might understandably need additional help during this time. For averyone, especially after coming out of quarantine, there's a Ready Wrigley activity book for children age 3-10, and for our heroic first responders, doctors, nurses, delivery and grocery personnel who put yourselves in danger everyday to protect the rest of the community, there's important information for your support as well that can be found here.
Other ways to keep your kids busy include: National Geographic for Kids Online, the San Diego Zoo online cam, the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, the Cincinnati Zoo has virtual safaris...
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting. Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs. Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy. Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you're feeling.
Hack your brain. "Uncertainty about coronavirus spreads anxiety through social contagion." This article suggests ways to minimize that. According to a recent article in the New York Times, simple awareness training (delivered through an app and currently 30 percent off) can reduce anxiety by 57 percent (in a study with anxious physicians) to 63 percent (in a study with people with generalized anxiety disorder) in two to three months.
For many of us we have much to be grateful for...a home to find safety in, clean running water and refrigerated food that will allow us to self-isolate. It’s almost 2020, and 2 million Americans still don’t have running water, according to a new report and social distancing is a luxury that homeless cannot afford. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, homeless in America and across the world lived without access to health services or even basic needs for hygiene. In countries like India, a country of 1.3 billion people, social distancing is almost impossible for most. Guilt is never a healthy emotion, but gratitude can be transformative.
Writer, Darran Anderson, suggests "When I’m stuck indoors or can’t sleep, I use Radio Garden a lot. It’s a site and app where you can explore the world’s radio stations in real-time. You can hear what people are listening to in towns in Tierra del Fuego or on the Trans-Siberian railway, on the shores of the South China Sea or the edges of the Rub’ al Khali. It’s a great introduction to new music or an aid to just daydream of distant places. And a certain degree of fleeting magic and mystery comes from listening to music in other languages that, if you can resist the urge to reach for Shazam, you’ll never hear again."
Looking for stories of HOPE? Well there are many of them and it takes real leadership and compassion to keep bringing us more where that came from...
And if you're looking for ways to stay creative while isolating, poet Alec Finlay, has launched a ‘Covid-19 Creative Tool-kit’ featuring suggestions on just that.
How about starting your day with THINGS ARE LOOKING UP™️ cards! The front of each card is a blend of abstract art forms and elements of nature and the back suggests an activity to boost your mood, create flow and shift your perspective-take one for yourself and send one in a message to a friend each day.
Here are a few streaming workouts to keep you moving...and there are tons of apps to check out as well:, appify, Taryn Toomey, Tracy Anderson Studios. and. Peloton has an interactive website for meditation, HIT, yoga, stretching and even audio walking tapes you can download. Keep your body and mind strong!
Looking for virtual well-being workshops? Try Holiticism online.
And there are even virtual soundbaths...at the Copper Vessel.
GLOBAL HEALTH SYSTEMS
The United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation have organized a COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund benefiting the World Health Organization’s effort to prevent and mitigate the effects of COVID-19. Donations support buying and shipping essential supplies such as masks, gloves and protective wear for frontline workers, lab testing, education efforts and accelerating research into diagnostics, treatments, and vaccine development.
Doctors Without Borders provides medical care "where it’s most needed," including fragile medical systems in vulnerable communities. Doctors Without Borders is also acting in support of people experiencing homelessness, living in refugee camps, or living in countries affected by major conflicts. It is accepting donations and channeling resources to where they are most needed.
International Medical Corps is working to provide equipment, training, and triage and treatment services in communities where COVID-19 has spread and health systems are vulnerable.
Direct Relief is coordinating with public health organizations and nonprofits to provide essential protective gear and medical equipment to health care workers worldwide. It most urgently needs funds to replenish its available supplies.
The International Rescue Committee delivers aid to vulnerable people worldwide, especially refugees and people in crisis zones. It urgently needs additional funding to support local health systems and reduce the impact of coronavirus.
SUPPORTING SERVICE WORKERS
The Salvation Army is working to provide emergency support—including rent, utility, and food assistance—for people facing low wages and unemployment due to COVID-19. Donations help the Salvation Army meet increasing needs in the communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
One Fair Wage, an organization committed to full, fair minimum wages for all working people, is organizing an emergency fund for service workers facing job loss due to COVID-19. It needs donations in order to continue providing cash assistance to those who need the money they aren’t getting during the pandemic.
Giving Kitchen provides financial support and a network of community resources to the food service community in the state of Georgia. It is asking for monetary donations to support food service workers diagnosed with COVID-19 or under doctor’s orders to quarantine, while its support network is helping people who have experienced layoffs find other sources of income.
Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation addresses issues that affect the food service industry. Right now, RWCF is organizing a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund directing money toward individual workers facing hardship and health crises as well as providing zero-interest loans to get restaurants back off the ground when this is all over.
Fuel the Frontline sends care packages to essential frontline workers who are fighting COVID-19. You can select the meal, gift card or care package they need now.
FOR ARTISTS
As the art world is beginning to feel the economic effects wrought by museum and school closures and event cancelations related to coronavirus, one foundation said it would create an emergency fund to support artists. Anonymous Was a Woman, which has given more than $6 million in artist grants since 1996, will distribute $250,000 to at least 100 woman-identifying artists over 40 years old.
If you’re a photographer facing financial difficulties, this fund at Format is for you. Writers, look here. LA based artists here you go and if you're headquartered in St Louis, look for help here. Greater Pittsburgh has you covered, the city of Santa Fe is looking out for you, Atlanta artists and musicians can seek relief as well. Here's a safety net for Bay Area artists and another one here. NYC low-income performing and visual artists will find assistance here. More assistance for NY artists can be found here. If you're an artist in Minnesota and need a helping hand, look here. And Austin artists, check this great source out. A fund for artists with medical expenses has been established and has no deadline. Look here for new opportunities for work! And for our neighbors to the North, there are resources for Canadian artists as well. Keep checking back and I'll keep adding as I learn of more generous benefactors.
The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant program is intended to provide interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation.
Spanish Arts Groups Ponder Coronavirus Relief Funds, Art Memes in a Time of Crisis, and More
SoundCloud and Twitch just made it easier for musicians to monetize live streams
Netflix Establishes $100 Million Coronavirus Relief Fund
The New York Community Trust has announced that it’s administering the NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund, a massive system of grants and interest-free loans.
Curators Impacted by COVID-19 Can Apply for This Emergency Grant
The Kinkade Family Foundation grants will award up to $5,000 for “unexpected emergencies related to the COVID-19 epidemic. The grants are for curators who are developing projects that promote artwork of contemporary and experimental nature and provides funding for a curatorial project that sheds light on the world during this time of darkness.
DONATE STUFF FROM YOUR BUSINESS OR HOME
National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Industries collects excess inventory from businesses and redistributes those goods to schools, churches and nonprofit organizations across the country.
INFORMATION YOU CAN TRUST
For data driven information that is updated constantly, by country, check out Tableu.
There's also a great twitter source that is updated regularly @DAWallach, that posts lists of epidemiologists.
🌏 YOU GOT THIS! 🌏
here's how...
Electrolytes to stay hydrated. We all know how important this is.
Vitamin D. There's a lot of scientific studies out there that say taking 2000-4000 units of Vitamin D a day helps to increase immunity. Also, spend some time in the sunshine, with care and sunscreen, of course.
Natural anxiety relievers: my great friend and earth medicine devotee, Lily, says that fresh Lemon Balm (you can find this in any natural grocery) is "good for body anxiety, calming and soothing to the nerves, grounding energy, gut calming, anti-viral." Treat yourself to a tea from these leaves and gift from mother earth.
St Johns Wort: an amazing anti depressant and very uplifting, also an anti-viral. Do not take this if you are on prescription anti-depression medications without first speaking about it with your doctor.
Chamomille Glycerite before bed or when you’ve had a rough day. It doesn’t have alcohol (maybe you want to add some ...) is known to be calming. Other natural immunity boosters are ginger, citrus, turmeric, oregano oil and Grandma's good ole bone broth.
SleepyTime tea: you know this one! There's no magic to this, it's just comforting and is a great part of the bedtime ritual...to that end, see the next item on the list...
Sleep on it! Good sleep improves you ability to fight off infection...my mom told me this is true, so you know it's gotta be!
Reduce stress by walking or running, journaling, staying in touch with family and friends, meditating, taking a break from the news, reading uplifting books and especially by helping others. During this difficult time there are even more people who are faced with enormous emotional challenges. There are those who are out of work or have no real home. Whatever you can do to give yourself a few moments of internal peace, find what works for you and do it. Science has shown that reducing stress boosts your immune system. (REALLY!!!) Your body does a better job fighting off illness and healing wounds when it’s not under stress.
And Jupe Health has developed a line of rapidly deployable, pop-up recovery units to address the coronavirus pandemic. These can be stacked on the back of flatbed trucks or boats and taken to hot spots as needed. Another example of compassion and ingenuity at work!
Some museums are doing their part by donating medical supplies!
And by creating COLORING BOOKS!
Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec & the J Paul Getty Research Institute and that's just for starters....
There's an entire museum of museums catalogs with free downloads!!
WRAP UP IN A TOWEL AND GET READY TO FEEL GOOD
Thank you for the reminder how great pajama parties are #johnlegend and #chrissyteigen
The Queen addresses her nation, and the world.
"This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed – and that success will belong to every one of us. We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again." April 5, 2020
“
a few videos to make you smile...
Bromance Thrives Under Quarantine
And finally, please #stayhome, #staysafe, #flattenthecure and...please share.
share your inspiration here...
Credits:
Created with images by engin akyurt - "Girl with mask to protect her from Coronavirus" • Dhaya Eddine Bentaleb - "Wash your hands" • Museums Victoria - "Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Brian Daniel in Research Laboratory, Abbotsford, 1948-1949. Photographer: Bert Anderson" • Rayia Soderberg - "untitled image"