COVID-19 Stories that Prove We Can Look to Brighter Days Ahead
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all,” the Emperor says to Mulan to encourage her to remain optimistic and not give up the fight against a common enemy in the Disney class “Mulan.” The world now faces the greatest enemy it has ever encountered in recent times in the form of a pandemic as the number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 2 million and still counting. However, despite this heartbreaking catastrophe, we’ve seen heroes and heroines left and right that gives us hope and reassures us that things will get better soon. They’ve proven that flowers bloom even under the direst of circumstances.
We’ve seen this altruistic heroism in everyday folk—healthcare workers, sanitation workers, grocery and supermarket clerks, mail carriers, journalist, community workers, truck drivers, and a lot more—as they remain dedicated and focused to their duties to the public. These people deserve a salute as they sacrifice their time to be with their families and their own health to ensure the world keeps on turning.
We’ve also seen individuals give us a glimmer of hope that the world is still a good place despite what’s happening and that all we have to do is remain faithful and strong and keep working together. Below is a look at these uplifting stories that show there’s a silver lining.
The kindness postcard
Social media is an efficient way for us to connect with each other during this time, and that’s what exactly what Becky Wass of Cornwall in the U.K. did—with a traditional twist. Wass created a postcard that said “Hello! If you are self-isolating, I can help” to encourage people to let her know if they need help with shopping or sending mail or simply wanted a phone call to alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation. Wass’ husband posted an image of the postcard on Twitter with the #hashtag #viralkindness, and it quickly went viral. Around the world, a similar gesture is happening where people offer help for grocery shopping and the like for those who are unable to.
Impromptu concerts
Music always manages to bring people together, and before Lady Gaga curated the “One World — Together At Home” concert as a tribute to healthcare workers and other frontline workers worldwide, the folks over at Siena, Italy had the same thing in mind back in March 13, only a few days after COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Italy, however, was already hit hard at that time, and thus the neighbourhood decided to warm everyone’s heart by singing an Italian song on their balcony. Since then, a lot of countries followed suit, including Canada. Perhaps the most noteworthy concert has been of Andrea Bocelli on Easter Sunday who serenaded everyone while located in Milan’s Duomo cathedral. Catch him on youtube “Amazing Grace” and you’ll get chills… the good kind of chills.
Connecting with visuals
The elderly population continues to bear the brunt of the novel coronavirus 19, and because they are in high risk of contracting complications, most hospitals and healthcare facilities implement a no-visitors policy, while ensuring that the healthcare professionals who attend to them are properly equipped from head to toe, from masks to face shields to protective suits. A doctor in Dallas, Dr. Elizabeth Paulk, sensed that this can be truly devastating for the patients, thus she and her team come up with visuals to introduce herself and her team. These include their names and greetings, and she personally shares a personal photo of her with her two kids. Other similar gestures have popped up around the world were healthcare workers arrange phone calls or video conferences for patients and their loved ones.
Saving with stories
While efforts from celebrities to spread a positive message doesn’t always work out and deliver embarrassing results (a good example is Gal Gadot and her friends singing John Lennon’s “Imagine”), there are those whose efforts are successful and praise-worthy. Two of those leading the charge are American actresses Amy Adams and Jennifer Garner who launched Save with Stories via Instagram where they and their friends read children’s books aloud to raise money for charity. The page already has more than 200k followers and over 100 celebrity readers.
The wedding must go on
People always say that love conquers all, and this is something a Michigan couple believed in strongly. After the outbreak thwarted Amy Simonson and Dan Stuglik’s wedding plans, they decided that the show still must go on. So they enlisted the help of Menasha Packaging Co. to make cutouts that resemble guests. The cutouts came in all kinds of shapes–tall and short, young and old, with long hair, short hair and ponytails—and they were placed in an empty church to align with the state’s physical distancing orders. It wasn’t exactly the wedding of their dreams but it came close. Other couples around the world have also decided the virus is not reason enough to stop their respective weddings, some even choosing to get married in balconies and other creative ways.
SOURCES
https://edmonton.citynews.ca/2020/04/14/a-phone-call-a-song-small-gestures-soothe-covid-19-stress/
https://globalnews.ca/news/6673940/italy-singing-coronavirus-quarantine/
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