Source: nytimes.com
Let them bake cake
Or banana bread...or whatever they want. With pretty much the whole world in lockdown, people turned to cooking and baking as a way to cope but I also saw so many negative responses to the rising (no pun intended) popularity of the banana bread and other baking trends. This annoyed me. Let people have a little fun or escape. Let people do something to feel connected to others during very isolating time. According to Julie Ohana, a culinary art therapist, “cooking and baking bring comfort" and "baking a loaf of bread, some cookies, etc is so basic but fills such a void" because "the process helps aid the baker and the finished product helps comfort the person or people receiving the delicious outcome.”
So what if someone "joins the latest craze on social media" or another Facebook fad? Take for example the Facebook avatars that took over feeds this year. If you think it's ridiculous or a waste of time, don't do it. But to criticise others for trying to have some fun and tune out the real world for a while seems pointless. I shall refrain from commenting on the Elf on the Shelf haters.
Fact check please!
At times this past year I felt as though I were on a twisted version of Whose Line Is It Anyway: "the show where everything is made up and the facts don't matter". It surprised and saddened me to see so many intelligent and educated people fall for fake news stories and swallow conspiracy theories about everything from the virus to politics. Now, more than ever, it is so important to check sources and question what you read. FYI Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp groups are not reliable sources.
Instead, people read a headline without reading further or cross-checking the facts and immediately share or repost the story, along with their shock or outrage or blind panic. Besides annoying the shit out of me, it is also extremely dangerous. Take for example the conspiracy theories including hydroxychloroquine being a cure for coronavirus from the so-called doctor, Stella Immanuel, who also believes in lizard people, alien DNA and demon sperm as the origin of ovarian cysts. Check. Your. Sources.
Me, Myself and I
This year made me realise how selfish some people really are, with little to no regard for the wellbeing of others around them. I read comments from so many people bitching and moaning about not being able to get their hair done or not being able to work out at the gym. Don't get me wrong, I feel for salons and gyms and other businesses who were impacted by lockdowns. But there is a bigger picture to consider, one with high risk individuals who will not simply have "mild, flu-like symptoms" and get over it. I'm sorry, but the state of your roots or your six-pack is not more important than someone's life.
Lockdown whingeing aside, my social media timeline is filled with photos of people living their best lives in large groups, often mask-less and with no regard for social distancing, as if the pandemic is over just because they've had enough of it. Breaking news: we're all suffering from pandemic fatigue but it's not over because you want to have a good time with your friends. Cara Natterson, MD, writes about selfishness as "the other pandemic": "Selfishness is coronavirus’s sister-pandemic, an illness brewing for a very long time now. Separated, both coronavirus and selfishness can wreak havoc. Together, their synergy is unimaginably dark".
You don't gotta go to work, work, work
I realized that I love working from home. The reduced hours and pay...not so much. But I loved not dealing with a dirty, crammed and unpredictable subway during rush hour, not feeling a knot of anxiety in my stomach to start each day and not dealing with office politics and drama and pettiness every other day. And I won't lie, working in my pjs (the bottom half) or sitting through mundane meetings in underwear was most satisfying. I related to this tweet: "2020 doesn't sound nearly as bad if you describe it as 'the year we all stopped needing to wear pants to work'". I also loved being able to take a nap when I needed one (I think the Spanish have the right idea with their daily siesta) instead of pushing through a mentally exhausting work day. All of this has made me question the pre-Covid 9 to 5 workday model that we've come to accept as the only way to work.
Instead of thinking outside the box, get rid of the box
Reuben Jackson, from Big Think, writes that it is difficult to find a silver lining in the fallout of Covid but there have been some positive outcomes: "People are learning new skills, bonding with family, helping once-anonymous neighbors, and connecting with their wider communities" while also "exploring their creative sides to unprecedented levels". Concerts went virtual (I watched Kylie's Disco concert and, while not near as amazing as the live version, it was worth paying for under the circumstances), artists created and released incredible music (see: Taylor Swift's two massive albums, folklore and evermore), restaurants adapted their menus and ways of doing business, people turned to DIY craft projects (Pinterest saw an increase of 30 million users), tech savvy individuals developed new apps and people created memes and TikTok videos to keep the world smiling.
In the end, I have to remind myself that we're all doing the best we can given the hand we've been dealt (unless you're a Republican leader in which case you've probably done fuck all). There are lessons to be learned, there are changes that need to be made and there are many questions that remain unanswered. And, unfortunately, we are not out of the woods yet so a little more patience, caution and kindness (and reliable information) are needed.
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