From bad comes good.

This thread will record my favorite things that could only have come about during a difficult time such as this. A Twitter-based gratitude journal, if you will.
#COVID19
#silverlinings
1) In an information email to my middle-school students, I mentioned a recent interest in watching anime, inviting their suggestions. I got many. One recommendation, though, came with a caveat to "be careful" because it& #39;s "inappropriate." https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy">
2) #zoomhappyhour and is a thing now. No extra handwashing required. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤗" title="Hugging face" aria-label="Emoji: Hugging face">
3) I can work on taxing projects without interruption. (My teens and I are on opposite schedules.)
4) I& #39;ve talked and seen my inspiring librarian colleagues more this week than in months. Thanks, @zoom_us!
5) I can obey my bladder& #39;s orders in real time. Likewise, my stomach. (Oh, the simple pleasures.)
6) School closure has meant relying on email exchanges to communicate with students, in which some have thanked me for doing my job. This praise, especially coming from not-yet-adults, is unexpected and priceless. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😭" title="Loudly crying face" aria-label="Emoji: Loudly crying face">
7) I value things I didn& #39;t think a lot about before -- toilet paper, enough food stocked to survive for awhile, clean running water, electrical power.
8) But also, I& #39;m thinking about the people who ensure these comforts, the workers at factories, farms, railroads. At grocery stores, water and electric plants. The truck drivers and warehouse loaders.

All of these are more important to me now.
9) I& #39;ve been on screens more than usual this week, so I took a long walk with the dogs to clear my head.

Couldn& #39;t find the less-used path I sought. (Not a metaphor. Well, maybe.) Traz was insistent in leading us. I was skeptical, but relented. He was right.

Lesson in trust.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😉" title="Winking face" aria-label="Emoji: Winking face">
10) My sons and I have self-isolated in the same house, texting each other.

It& #39;s the same way we usually communicate, but the son who lives at college has texted me considerably more from 30 feet away than from 200 miles away.

I& #39;ll take it.
11) While my schedule is somewhat less rigid, I& #39;ve been absorbing as much learning as possible!

Also, this meme always makes me giggle, and I wanted it in my timeline.
12) The only other explanation that Google doesn& #39;t listen in is that it reads my mind. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😳" title="Flushed face" aria-label="Emoji: Flushed face">

Sons were overzealous in their stocking up on perishables for #quarantine, so I am looking for a recipe for moist (obligatory) banana bread. This is only as far as I had to go.
This is the recipe I used. So good, I& #39;m making another loaf today. https://divascancook.com/moist-banana-bread-recipe-easy/">https://divascancook.com/moist-ban...
Easy Moist Banana Bread Recipe

Learn how to make the best banana bread ever. Easy and moist banana bread recipe that's golden on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside. Crowd pleaser!

https://divascancook.com/moist-banana-bread-recipe-easy/
13) As the quarantine continues, I& #39;m watching old favorite comedy movies and series before bed as a departure from distressing daily #COVID19 news.

Each era had its own troubles, and these remind me that the world adjusted and kept going.
#silverlinings https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0098948/">https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0...
Wings (TV Series 1990–1997) - IMDb

Created by David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee. With Tim Daly, Steven Weber, Crystal Bernard, David Schramm. Brothers Brian and Joe Hackett attempt to run an airline on the New England island of...

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0098948/
14) I& #39;m dreaming of traveling again. Until then, I watch YouTube videos of driving or walking through places I want to visit (or miss), while following along with the map on my phone, and it& #39;s a lot like being there.
#QuarantineActivities

Downtown Chicago https://youtu.be/x42Wxn1btTY ">https://youtu.be/x42Wxn1bt...
15) The human craving for art and beauty will create it, even in difficulty.

Here, a virtual choir from around the globe, making celestial music.
#QuarantineActivities https://youtu.be/6WhWDCw3Mng ">https://youtu.be/6WhWDCw3M...
16) I& #39;m convinced one can learn anything with some combination of Netflix, PBS, Amazon Prime, Khan Academy, and YouTube. Any. Thing.
17) I discovered Room Rater, which assigns a score for Skype and Zoom backgrounds, with hilarious commentary, and it made my week. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy">
@ratemyskyperoom
18) My son introduced me to these delectable @HEB jalapeño and cheese kolaches, and now I am carefully considering his punishment.
19) I& #39;m a huge fan of @MarieKondo, and I have extra time at home... But I want to see a series where people know they should let go of certain things, but genuinely grieve over the very thought of it. That is *my* reality show. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😢" title="Crying face" aria-label="Emoji: Crying face"> Only half of me wants to declutter. #bittertruth
The thrill of having me home all day, every day, has apparently waned for The Cat. Putting fresh sheets on the bed is usually her favorite play activity https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😏" title="Smirking face" aria-label="Emoji: Smirking face">, but she merely stretched from her nap, and put a paw over her eyes as if to say, "Can& #39;t you see I& #39;m sleeping here?!"
21) After over a month in quarantine, the pursuits I simply don& #39;t find gratifying have become evident, *even when I have the time to do them.*

On the other hand, ability to enter flow in my thinking has led to new endeavors, such as experimental cooking and learning español.
22) One diversion has become an obsession -- YouTube. DID YOU KNOW IT HAS EVERYTHING?

I fall down a virtual rabbit hole and learn obscure history, study skills, technology tips, and watch people with incredible patience for tedious crafts, like this: https://youtu.be/RIW0te5TCfQ ">https://youtu.be/RIW0te5TC...
23) Without YouTube, what are the chances I would have discovered this lovely musician and her adorable Chihuahua? Betcha can& #39;t watch without feeling lighter. https://youtu.be/PMAX1hCdvFA ">https://youtu.be/PMAX1hCdv...
This article about 70-year old Malinda Herman& #39;s inspiring story of turning a painful injury into musical joy includes a video of her adoring dog gently falling asleep to her soothing sound. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤" title="Red heart" aria-label="Emoji: Red heart">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐶" title="Dog face" aria-label="Emoji: Dog face"> https://shareably.net/woman-sings-to-dog/">https://shareably.net/woman-sin...
Elderly woman sings "I Can’t Stop Loving You" to her dog and becomes internet sensation

The look on the dog’s face is heartmelting.

https://shareably.net/woman-sings-to-dog/
24) I walked to the mailbox late last night, and oh, my word, the STARS in the night sky! Truly sparkling like diamonds, against a velvety black sky, the result of reduced human activity and pollution. #silverlinings https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-lockdown-starry-skies-emerge-night-sky-air-pollution-light/">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coro...
Starry skies emerge amid life under coronavirus lockdown

"I've actually almost become a vampire because I've spent so much time out at night," stargazer Trevor Pitt said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-lockdown-starry-skies-emerge-night-sky-air-pollution-light/
25) My original purpose in this thread was to focus on positives during #Quarantine, but it seems disingenuous not to mention the tremendous and sometimes overwhelming sadness, also. Weeping at stories of strangers whose families, friends, and coworkers are grieving their loss.
You can follow @JuliaBNations.
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