April 10, 2020 – Observations and Thoughts…

Finding Joy in Little Things

Howling at the Moon? About a week ago, our neighbors told us a story about people in Denver howling at the moon every night at 8pm. What an event that would be to see and hear people venturing to their doors and windows to participate in a nightly, communal howl. Sounds very primal doesn’t it?

Well, two days ago, my kids came in from outside and said they heard people howling and couldn’t get out dog to stop howling back. People howling…what, why?

A brief google search last night revealed the story behind the howls. As Alex Rose reports on KDVR.com, in his story “Colorado communities continue to show solidarity, howl together at 8 every night,” the purpose is actually one that brings connection. The howls were born out of a Facebook group called Go Outside and Howl at 8pm. The group was created by Shelsea Ochoa and Brice Maiurro, as a way for people to connect with each other while staying home.

As the article states, many might also use the nightly howl to show support for the healthcare workers daily risking their own health to fight the COVID-19 Pandemic. Supporting those on the “front lines” as Rose puts it, even if it’s in such a small way, might certainly makes me feel joy.

Appreciating Others’ Adaptability. Last night my daughter’s jumprope team hosted a Zoom workout. At first my daughter resisted but then she fully got into it; setting up the iPad outside for her virtual practice. She switched Zoom to gallery view so she could see her teammates while she followed along. Double bonus; our daughter got exercise doing something that she loves and connected with people outside our famliy. Her good mood and smile that followed filled my cup.

Laughing at the Dog. Our dog is very, very, high energy and extremely needy for attention. Sometimes this can be quite draining, especially with all of us at home these days. But walking by her kennel yesterday, I discovered her totally chill position (see picture at right). I had to laugh at our silly dog.

Likewise, in this picture below, our dog wouldn’t let our daughter do situps on the ground. Anytime any of us lay on the floor, our dog has to lay on top of us. How can that not make you smile?

#hometogether #hopeinsuffering #thisiscoronalife