Happy Hour

Lest you think we’ve forgotten about YOU, we haven’t! We’ve collected some inspiring, comforting, and humorous resources (at least to us!) to keep you going. And we thought we’d time it on a Friday afternoon to help you kick off happy hour, which is well deserved at the end of a week doing 5 jobs!

First, a reminder to be kind to yourself and to take care of yourself (cheers!). For me, this often means taking a walk on my own, and it gives me time to think, breathe, talk with a friend, or listen to a podcast. My favorite podcast is This American Life, and this week I heard this beautiful explanation by a 12 year-old of what we all really want. Need other ideas? Check out Yale’s Happiness Course, which is now free to audit online!

Also, remember that this is hard and new, and that we all are feeling various forms of loss, whether it’s of normalcy, purpose, or relationships. If you’re a teacher, remember that you can’t design online learning overnight, and that you are also adapting to new relationships with students while managing your own transitions.

I also appreciated this advice from an astronaut on how to survive in isolation, including keeping a schedule, pacing yourself, getting outside, staying connected, and having a hobby. This blog is a bit of a hobby for me, and I’ve also learned finger loop knitting (taught to me by my 10 year old) and it’s addicting!

I also really appreciated this article on how learning is everywhere--so don’t stress out about creating the “right” or “enough” learning experiences for your kids. Circling back to the importance of self care and connection, learning experiences that add to our stress levels are counter to both of these goals. Things have gone topsy turvy, but perfect is still the enemy of good.

And, finding humor and levity in these serious times can never be underestimated, so here’s a roundup of some funnies that are circulating on the internet:

Intelligence is not contagious

In the spirit of happy hour:
"Heard some advice on the radio last night, it said to have inner peace, that we should always finish things we start, and we all could use more calm in our lives. I looked through my house to find things that I'd started and hadn't finished, so I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Whiskey, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, an a box a chocletz. Yu haf no idr how feckin fablus I feel rite now. Sned this to all who need inner piss. An telum u luvum. And two al bee hapee wilst in de instalation.