The Blog

It’s been weeks, maybe years since you started your new WFH lifestyle. Well, more like work from home, eat from home, yoga from home, procrastinate from home. You get it. Or you’re out there on the front lines being the kind of hero that we are all so grateful for right now. In any case, someone answers your check-in text with the phrase “strange times" at least once a day and we’re all looking for something refreshing to brighten up this new normal. Here’s yet another reminder that life is still sweet!   1. A Round of Applause   Whether you’re the kind of person who claps when the plane lands or not (hey, no judgement here) cities across the globe are synchronizing like 80s aerobics to show their gratitude for healthcare workers each and every night with a round of applause.    Watch here: CNN: See people around the world cheer for health care workers 2. Repurposing with Purpose Maybe you’re a diehard baseball fan clued into every home-dunk-touchdown or maybe you don’t know what all the fuss is about but Major League Baseball is doing some stuff we can all root for these days. Instead of letting uniforms collect dust while the season is cancelled, MLB will be donating jerseys to be made into protective masks for healthcare workers in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. And who doesn’t like a flattering pinstripe? Read more here: NY Post: MLB jerseys to be made into masks for medical workers fighting coronavirus 3. Works of Art   They say boredom breeds creativity so let’s just say we’re reaching da Vinci levels right about now. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California is encouraging people to put that pent-up artistic energy to good use by challenging art lovers everywhere to recreate famous paintings using only household items. You know, it’s funny how a few rolls of toilet paper and some oranges suddenly look unmistakably like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night" or a carved potato seamlessly transforms into “The Scream" by Edvard Munch. And all it took was just a few weeks of total home isolation!     Watch here: Today: People nail challenge to re-create famous paintings   Looking for a little more inspiration? Indonesian-based artist and friend-of-JSC, Kelly Garrett Rathbone is keeping busy during quaran-times with her own re-imagining of classic paintings. Check it out.                    4. An Open Book As if things weren’t stressful enough, many parents are now home with the kids 24/7; playing the part of chef, activities instructor, and even teacher. Mary Poppins, where are you? The New York Public Library might be the next best thing. To help preserve our sanity, NYPL is now offering free online student support including things like one-on-one remote tutoring and lots of online videos and things to do. Read more here: NYPL Connect: Introducing Free Online Tutoring for Students, Digital Research Books, and More 5. It's Lit Could there be anything more spectacular than the Eiffel Tower in Paris? Larger than life than Rio’s Christ the Redeemer? More mind blowing than Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza? Let us shed a little light on it. Landmarks from around the world have illuminated the night with messages of encouragement for the public and appreciation for health workers. Displays range from the pulsing red light atop New York City’s Empire State Building to symbolize the heartbeat of the nation to massive projections of “#hope” and “stay home" atop the snowy peak of Switzerland’s Matterhorn. Read more here: People: Famous Landmarks Around the World Are Lighting Up with Messages of Hope and Thanks Amid Coronavirus   EXPLORE

By this point, it’s likely you’ve baked enough bread to seriously consider a career change. You’ve named all of your plants, joined more Zoom game nights than you can count, and have suddenly become a power user on Tik Tok. You’re missing friends and family and even that misty memory of wearing real pants. But we’re alone (and potentially losing our minds) together. As the weeks go on, we continue to unite over the small things that remind us that life is still sweet!    1. Smells Sweet   Remember when Beanie Babies were the hot ticket? Cabbage Patch Kids? Tickle Me Elmo? Well, if you haven’t noticed, these days it’s masks, gloves, and a little accessory called hand sanitizer. Infinitely less cuddly but all too important for our safety. French luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, is known for producing perfume (remember when we cared about smelling good? Good! Neither do we...) but now they’re switching gears and pumping out massive quantities of that liquid gold. Hand sanitizer made at the Dior, Givenchy, and Guerlain factories will be distributed to French health agencies, free of charge.    Read more here: Vice: Louis Vuitton Conglomerate Is Now Making Hand Sanitizer in Its Perfume Factories 2. Furry Friends By the time you finish Netflix (we imagine that was about a week ago) you might be wondering how best to pass the time and find fulfillment in the world. Cut to: dogs. Or cats or guinea pigs. Whatever your pre-furr-ed pet, shelters and adoption agencies are in need of foster homes for their animals before they shut down shop. And it’s not such a bad gig. Welcoming a furry friend into your home during quarantine provides us humans with much-needed comfort and companionship, not to mention love. Win-win! Read more here: Today: Why fostering a shelter animal during the coronavirus pandemic is a win-win 3. Creative Dance Sweating it out after a hard day of work or school or just dealing with public transit was a ritual for many of us. Doing old Tae Bo DVDs in your living room just doesn’t quite cut it somehow. But a little creativity, a megaphone, and some Rihanna at full blast helped a community in Utah organize a neighborhood-wide cardio dance class.    Watch here: Now This: Utah Community Organizes Social Distancing Zumba Class 4. Global Support Italy needs a little love right now (don’t we all...), and Cuba stepped. It. Up. Despite the risks and mortal danger and the whole being on a plane for 12 hours part, 150 Cuban doctors trekked to the region of Lombardy in Northern Italy to support medical teams there. And if that wasn’t enough, Cuban healthcare providers have been making rounds in Nicaragua, Venezuela, Jamaica, and Suriname, too. Read more here: MPN News: Images of Cuban Doctors Helping Italy Go Viral, Burst Media Narrative 5. Love is Always in the Air Yes, it’s love in the time of Coronavirus. Reilly Jennings and Amanda Wheeler heard the news that the NYC marriage bureau would be shutting down until further notice and had to act fast to tie the knot. The couple opted for an extremely intimate and...inventive ceremony. Just two lovebirds, a city sidewalk, and a minister hanging out of a 4th story window. The stuff of modern fairytales! Watch here: ABC: Social Distance Wedding Ceremony in New York City Despite Coronavirus EXPLORE

Hello from our living room, wearing a similar outfit to yesterday's, wavering between feelings of worry, hope and overwhelm.  We saw a post the other day that says it all "For those who lost track, today is Blursday, the fortyteenth of Maprilay."  Uncertain of the future, we distract ourselves with the thing we know best - travel, and more specifically "armchair travel." Delighting in uplifting stories and pictures from all over the world. Each week we'll be sharing the ones that remind us that Life Is Still Sweet.     1. SOUND OF MUSICItalians in quarantine take to roofs and balconies to join Italians in quarantine take to roofs and balconies to join in song.Read more here: The New York Times: Italians Find ‘a Moment of Joy in This Moment of Anxiety’Watch here: The Guardian: Quarantined Italians sing from balconies to lift spirits 2. GOOD NEIGHBORS Good neighbors in Brooklyn, NY use nextdoor app to help out senior citizens hunkering down at home. Read more here: New York Post: NYC good Samaritans run errands for seniors confined by the coronavirus3. FURRY FRIENDS With more people exercising “WFH,” we’re all spending more time with our furry friends (with entertaining results).Read more here: The Guardian: Dogs working from home during coronavirus crisis? There's an Instagram account for that 4. COMMUNITY SUPPORTPerformers, personal trainers, bar tenders, small business owners, and more feel the love with support from the community. Read more here: CBS News: These workers are going without pay during the coronavirus crisis. Here's how to help.5. HOLIDAY LIGHTSHoliday lights are going back up to spread cheer (not germs) during lockdown.Read more here: Good Morning America: People put Christmas lights up to spread cheer amid coronavirus pandemic6. VIRTUAL TOURSThrough the power of virtual tours, you can still visit beautiful museums and attractions all around the world.Read more here: The Washington Post: 12 Historic Sites you can Virtually Tour from the Couch during your Quarantine   MORE TO EXPLORE

"I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met."