By Chloe Gray

Damn, 2020. Let a girl catch her breath. We’re not even a quarter of the way through and you’ve already given us raging wildfires, a WW3 teaser, Brexit, Megxit, Kobe’s crash and now a global pandemic that’s proven just how fragile the world is.

It’s easy to get lost in the doom of these gloomy times we’ve found ourselves in. My guru, Alex Mecklenburg, has taught me the importance of acknowledging each emotion as it comes, then moving past the ones that are beyond my control. So I’ve been trying to do exactly that.

Something that is in my control is my mindset. Finding silver linings helps reprogram it to positivity. Here are some I thought of just now:

• I finally care enough about my immune system that I’m eating at least one vegetable every day.
• I’ve been catching up with my busiest friends, who are a captive audience for my FaceTimes now they’re stuck at home too.
• I’m spending heaps of quality time with my lockdown partner, Ivan. As a result of this, my early-naughties pop culture knowledge is stronger than ever.
• I only have to dress from the waist-up for iSchool. I haven’t yet exercised this freedom, but knowing that I could at any time is unreasonably thrilling.
• I can watch America’s Next Top Model and do laundry on my lunch break. So far I’ve done more of the former than the latter.
• I’m getting better at making good at-home coffee with each passing day.

And for some happy things that aren’t all about me:

• Toilet roll is enjoying its 15 minutes of fame now that it’s a hot commodity. It’s hard to wipe away the memory of being taken for granted as a mundane household necessity for decades, but this should offer some consolation. 
• The Venice canals are clear following Italy’s lockdown. Fish, swans and even dolphins have been spotted swimming around wondering what happened to the bothersome humans.
• Scientists calculated that China’s lockdown has saved over 77,000 lives just by reducing air pollution.
• Birds can be heard singing in Wuhan now that they’re not muted by traffic noise.
• Remote working capabilities are going to see a decade worth of advancement in the next few months.
• Some beautiful art is going to be produced as a result of this isolation.
• Although we can’t touch, the world has never felt so together.

Hang in there, loves. Call me if you need to chat. My empathy is at an all-time high.

See you on Remo / Zoom / Wiip / Slack / FaceTime.