The Corona Chronicles

The Best Stuff Is Not Canceled!

The happiest people find blessings in the small things

Over the last two and a half weeks, as the numbers of positively tested Corona cases in Germany have risen from just over 1k to 37k, the city of Berlin started by canceling every venue and event hosting over 1000 people: First, theatres, operas, and museums got shut down, followed by schools, kindergartens, and eventually playgrounds. Now, the meeting of more than two individuals in public is prohibited.

As Facebook turned into little more than a message board for canned events, I went on to postponing all future flights and travel plans, aborting dinner parties, as well as my regular girls’ nights.

Fortunately, I’m naturally predisposed to positivity—even in the darkest of times I tend to find the rays of light that make their ways through the cracks. You’d have to be hell-bent to throw me some shit that I won’t reshape into something that we can’t, at the very least, laugh at.

With our lives and immediate plans temporarily on hold, I choose to believe that we’ve been given the unique opportunity to shift focus; now, more than ever, we have little choice but to pay attention to the little things—which, in the end, are what really matters anyway.

A good friend from back home recently posted a flyer created by the Norwegian Department of Health listing all the things that are not canceled, concluded with the sentence, “let’s use what we have”. I found this such a beautiful reminder of the wealth found in the smallest of things that I decided to take this list and elaborate on it—as well as add some of my own points:

Walks—Not canceled

Despite being asked to self-quarantine, most of us are still permitted to go outside. Since exercise produces endorphins and acts as a natural mood-booster to fight anxiety and depression, this is definitely not the time to skip our daily walks in the park.

If you don’t have a regular routine, now—with our normal schedules already flipped on their heads—is a great excuse to start one.

Feeling ambitious? Why not use this time to reach a personal fitness goal? Personally, I plan to get back in running shape and do a 10k by the end of April. Let’s do this!

Walking causes a repetitive, spontaneous poetry to rise naturally to the lips, words as simple as the sound of footsteps on the road. —Frédéric Gros

Music: Not canceled

One aim of my Corona Extra playlist the other day, was to act as a reminder of how music connects us beyond boundaries. Whether you listen online, dust off the old vinyl collection or play your own instruments, music has the power to heal.

According to scientists “music has positive physical effects. It can produce direct biological changes, such as reducing heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels.” (Source)

Without music, life would be a mistake. —Friedrich Nietzsche

Phone calls: Not canceled

Calling your mom (or dad, your grandparents, or a friend) is never contagious. On the contrary, talking on the phone fosters trust and intimacy compared to chatting or emailing.

Now that many of us can’t see our friends and family in the flesh, it’s more important than ever to take advantage of the tools available to us.

I was just introduced to Zoom the other night when I shared a virtual glass of wine with my girlfriends. Talking with, and seeing them all together on one screen was almost as good as the real thing!

Good conversation is the equivalent of shared emotion. —Marty Rubin

Reading: Not canceled

Seeing you’re already here, I doubt I have to say much to the benefits of reading. I’ve yet to start making my way through the stack of books I brought with me into quarantine, but, above all, I try to stay on top of my favorite Medium writers and do my (small) part to make sure my friends and colleagues stay afloat through these times.

I encourage everyone to do the same: Put the anxiety-inducing news to the side for a moment, and, instead, support our favorite writers by reading and reposting their work.

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. — George R.R. Martin

Singing: Not canceled

When I had my first appointment with an osteopath last month, he suggested that I hum and sing more to ease the tension in my solar plexus chakra. I love to sing and have been using my voice as a tool since I was a child, still, it tends to be one of the first things I forget about when I’m stressed and overwhelmed.

“Singing can have some of the same effects as exercise, like the release of endorphins, which give the singer an overall ‘lifted’ feeling and are associated with stress reduction. It’s also an aerobic activity, meaning it gets more oxygen into the blood for better circulation, which tends to promote a good mood.” (source).

He who sings frightens away his ills. —Miguel de Cervantes

Laughter: Not canceled

While it’s not a laughing matter, the many silly Corona-memes currently flooding the interweb speak to our resilience and prove that humor is one of the last things to go.

It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine, and that’s no joke. In fact, “laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.” (source). Laughter is like an exercise from the inside that boosts the immune system, releases endorphins, protects the heart—it even burns calories.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor. ―Charles Dickens

Hope: Not canceled

Supposedly, “a growing body of scientific evidence points to the conclusion that optimism may be hardwired by evolution into the human brain”. (source).

Personally, I see a lot of positive come from this. Besides forcing us to focus on the little things, I hope that the already apparent environmental benefits of this crisis will serve as a wakeup call for all. We’re now witnessing a significant reduction in carbon emissions in lock-down areas, and places like Rome and Venice are seeing wildlife, such as dolphins and swans, returning after being absent for a long time.

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul. —Emily Dickinson

Self-care: Not canceled

Caring for ourselves isn’t selfish, but a necessity in order to be present for others as well. Encompassing more than facials and manicures, self-care is also about getting enough rest and alone-time, as well as eating food that nourishes us. Self care is making time for our hobbies and passions. Masturbation or a sexy photo session can be forms of self-care, and so can meditation, yoga, journaling—and many of the other points on this list.

According to Forbes, “self-care is important to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself as it produces positive feelings and boosts your confidence and self-esteem. Also, self-care is necessary to remind yourself and others that you and your needs are important too.”

The latter is vital for all you parents out there who are self-isolating with your kids right now. While their needs naturally come first, it’s so important to teach our children that mommy and daddy need their own time as well.

Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. —Audre Lorde

Love: Not canceled

Though I left the church while I still a teen, the good book still has a number of quotable passages, one of them comes from the Corinthians and says “these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Love comes in all shapes and flavors and can be expressed in a multitude of ways—not only between lovers. All varieties of love are said to have a positive physical effect, especially on our hearts and cardiovascular health, as well as multiple a number of benefits.

Where there is love there is life. — Mahatma Gandhi

The one thing we should all be spreading right now, in every form, shape, and way that we can, is love!

From the bottom of my heart,

Currently shacked up with her (soon) five-year-old daughter, Ella, and her boyfriend of ten months, Jay, Ena Dahl reports regularly from their day-to-day lives in self-quarantine on the South East side of Berlin.

The Corona Chronicles will feature a collection of updates, poems, ponderings, short articles, and other literary pieces from these times while all three of them share a home for the first time.