There’s nothing like a few heartwarming stories to shine a light during uncertain times. With all the anxiety, worry, and fear circulating through every channel, it may seem impossible to find any good news about the pandemic. In fact, now that I’ve said it, is there really anything good about the coronavirus pandemic? Maybe these hopeful stories will give us a reason to stay strong.
Heartwarming stories don’t get much cuter than this. In South Dakota, a sixth-grade math teacher Chris Waba outsmarted social distancing rules when his student, Rylee Anderson, asked for help with an algebra lesson. The student had sent him multiple emails about graphing, and according to Waba, he “didn’t think twice” about coming to the rescue with a whiteboard demonstration outside her glass screen door. Apparently, this isn’t out of character for Waba, who is touted among his peers as a good teacher and great man who will do anything to help a kid out.
In Copenhagen, Denmark, this apartment community isn’t letting the pandemic get in the way of their home fitness routine. Residents gathered more than six feet apart on their balconies to participate in a group workout involving jumping jacks, squats, and lots of community cheer. This is one of the many heartwarming stories gone viral. Who says you can’t torch fat in a group workout sesh while keeping six feet apart? Copenhagen isn’t the first to do this. Communities in many other places, like Spain and Italy, have also joined in on the fun.
What would you do if you found your grandma on YouTube showing the world how to make her famous ravioli? Tell her she’s a superstar? Like and subscribe? If you answered yes to either of these, you are correct. “Pasta Grannies” creator1 Vicky Bennison turned dinner with Grandma into an online sensation when she decided to film the Italian nonna making homemade tagliatelle. She has since filmed over 200 nonnas passing their secrets on to a new generation and keeping the art of pasta alive.
We don’t know who came up with the idea, but whoever they are, we salute you. In a new trend sweeping Twitter, suburbs are turning their Christmas lights back on to spread cheer during the pandemic. Hashtags like #LightsForLife and #CoronaKindness are shared along with photos of lit-up homes. Although out of season, these sparkly houses can’t help but put a smile on your face. If you can’t find the light, be the light, they say, and with these inspiring roofs and windows, things are looking bright.
Finding ways to entertain yourself during quarantine can be difficult, but not for 93-year-old Olive Veronesi of Seminole, PA. She is doing her part to stay home and stay safe the only way humankind knows how – with beer. She became an overnight sensation when she posted a sign in her window for “MORE BEER” as a message for her neighbors and daughter. Well, let’s just say Coors saw the sign and sent a massive delivery of 150 ice cold beers. Long live Olive, Queen of heartwarming stories.
21-year-old Ashley Lawrence is a Kentucky College student studying education for the deaf and hard of hearing who is using her skills for the good humankind by sewing innovative masks that allow face visibility for people who rely on ASL or lip reading to communicate. Her mother has been helping her make masks out of bedsheets and plastic fabric. “We’re all panicking right now and so a lot of people are just not being thought of,” Lawrence says, and she couldn’t be more right.
Princess Sofia of Sweden has decided amidst the pandemic to volunteer at the Sophiahemmet Hospital after completing an in-depth course online. The hospital has been overwhelmed because of COVID-19, and the 35-year-old royal mom is setting a stunning standard for young girls and citizens everywhere by joining the fight. She will be directly assisting doctors and nurses by disinfecting equipment, cleaning, and working shifts in the kitchen. Princess Sofia says, “To have the opportunity to help in this difficult time is extremely rewarding.”
Speaking of royals, Prince William recently hailed 99-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore for raising more than £19m for the National Health Service (NHS) Charities Together campaign. His original goal was just £1,000. How did he do it? By completing one-hundred laps around his garden. I think it is safe to say this war hero is achieving more in the last month than I have in my whole life. Prince William says, “He’s a one-man fundraising machine and God knows what the final total will be.”
As a tribute to healthcare workers of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue was lit up as a doctor on Easter Sunday. The lighting display beamed messages of thanks in different languages, photos of medical professionals in scrubs and masks, and the slogan “Fique Em Casa” (“stay at home”). On top of that, Rio’s archbishop performed a mass at the statue location during the show to commemorate the hard work of frontline health professionals. Brazil had a light memorial for Italy as well.
Scared is an understatement of how people in the hospital right now may be feeling. Doctors and nurses at the frontlines have picked up on this and made a heartwarming move to combat the fear and anxiety of patients by pinning happy photos of themselves on their uniforms and protective gear. The small gesture reminds uneasy patients that there is a warm, compassionate human behind the mask. So far, patients have been responding in a positive way to the smiles, making things feel just a little bit normal.
With an oversupply of ventilators and beds, Germany has been transferring Italian patients with serious conditions to their own hospitals. They have also been caring for patients from Alsace, France – a hot spot for COVID-19. Germany has fortunately avoided high levels of infection, and they are using this advantage to help fellow countries in need. Patients were being transported by air force two at a time, but Germany stepped in and is now transporting six patients a day. Head of the Haut-Rhin administrative district Brigitte Klinker says, “This shows that friendship and solidarity know no borders.”
As the UK battles the crushing blows of COVID-19, drawings of rainbows have been popping in up in neighborhood windows. Brits are only allowed to leave their homes twice a day – for exercise and shopping – and to raise spirits of doom and gloom, kids have been painting pictures of rainbows and putting them up for display. They serve to cheer up those who are in isolation. Hashtag #ChaseTheRainbow has been trending to spread positivity.
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