I don’t know about you, but life feels really heavy right now. The news is more present and more intense than ever. We are socially distancing (Thank you! Keep it up!) which is important, but can result in feeling disconnected from our friends, family, and life in general. And all of our normal routines have been disrupted. It can be overwhelming, to say the least. In the midst of all of this chaos, it’s the little things in life each day to bring a laugh or some joy. Need a little pick me up or just want to laugh? We’re sharing some bits of goodness for your week. Read on for more.
Listening
Music is good for us all. With streaming services, you really can choose a song to fit a mood at a moment’s notice. Lane had the great idea this week to make a playlist of Broadway hits to help get us through this corona-craziness. It’s fantastic and you can find it here.
And speaking of broadway, Lane sent me this video this weekend featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt and I. Can’t. Stop. Listening. It’s amazing.
Social distancing means live concerts are out for a bit, but again, the internet comes to the rescue with some great performances. Here are some of my favorites:
Backstreet Boys (iHeart Living Room Concert for America)
John Legend (watch for his hilarious wife drinking on the piano about 10 minutes in!)
NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts are always fun. I love this one, this one, and this one.
Reading
Reading is such a good escape. While we can’t physically travel right now, books can take us so many places. I’ve been trying to stay to lighter books recently.
Here are some of my favorite reads from the past few months:
Celebrities are reading children’s stories to benefit Save The Children & No Kid Hungry and it’s fantastic:
https://www.instagram.com/SAVEWITHSTORIES/
So many authors have had book tours this spring cancelled. It’s such a bummer but…there are some fun online alternatives if you still want to catch your favorite.
Catch up with Kimmery Martin talking about her new book, The Antidote For Everything, with Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy
Listen to Glennon Doyle talk about her new book, Untamed.
Random Internet Goodness
Much of the credit here goes to Lane’s daughter Anna, who is an excellent source for internet goodness. If you need a quick pick-me-up, I definitely recommend checking out this dog doing yoga in Italian. It’s impossible not to smile.
I can hardly deal with how much I love this video from John Krasinski. Warning: there might be tears along (the good kind!) along with the laughs. Humans really are so good sometimes.
On a side note: can we get another season of Jack Ryan, ASAP? Thanks.
Also, I can’t stop watching these videos of sports commentators “calling” life – now that official sports events have been cancelled. Love it.
Cooking
I’ve really appreciated the little things in the kitchen lately. I’ve started a little Quarantine Cooking Project to make the dinner time challenge a little more fun. I’m thinking about calling it #thequarantinecookbookchallenge ! Each week I’m picking one cookbook off my shelf and making at least 3 recipes. Last week I used this one. This week I’m planning on meals from this gem. I’ll be making Italian Flag Baked Pasta, Simple Pulled Pork With Vinegar Slaw, and Confetti Meatloaf with Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower.
Are you looking for some easy recipes to make right now? Check out these favorites:
Spinach Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing
Cheesy Turkey Apple Meatballs
Creamy Vanilla Fruit Dip
Mindfulness
There is good data to suggest that mindfulness is not only good for our minds, but our bodies and can actually help to keep us healthy. During this time of increased daily stress, a mindfulness practices can be really helpful. I will fully admit that I struggle with meditation and mindfulness at times. It’s so hard to be still. (Which is probably an indication that I need to meditate more, huh? ). Wanna get started? Here are a few things to try:
A Loving-Kindness Meditation
Headspace is offering some free meditations right now and if you’re a healthcare worker, you can qualify for a free subscription right now. Check it out here.
A great general resource: Greater Good’s Guide to Well-Being During Coronavirus (from UC Berkeley)
Rest
You may have noticed that things have slowed down a little here. For the time being, we have adjusted our posting schedule to just once per week. We will continue to post new recipes, food/nutrition related articles, and a little fun, too but just at a little slower pace while we navigate this new world. Thanks so much for all of your support! Be well. Stay Safe. We’ve got this.
[SOME OF THE LINKS IN THIS POST ARE AFFILIATE LINKS AND WE WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE AFTER CLICKING ON OUR LINK. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR WORK HERE AT WITH TWO SPOONS!]
Leave a Reply