Weekend Open Thread and Links

Whee, it’s the weekend. I’m so looking forward to staying home some more and watching my kids watch cartoons and trying to convince them that a walk around the neighborhood won’t kill them! As the reality of this situation continues sinking in, I suspect many of you are feeling some grief (over the world we’ve lost) and depression. You aren’t alone. I’ve been struggling too. Some days are better than others. I wish I had words to share to make it better, but I don’t. This all feels so unprecedented, and I’m scared. But also trying not to dwell too much on all the things out of our control (which kind of feels like everything at the moment?). How are you?

Here are a few things around the web that might interest you:

I don’t think this is such a bad thing: Farewell to the Friendly Cheek Kiss

Well, this is where we are now: Fashionable face masks: designers are pivoting their businesses to produce stylish protective gear

I liked this article about the lost art of letter-writing and penpal-ships. I’ve had a penpal for about 22 years whom I still exchange cards and letters (and emails) with. Now she sends notes to my kids, too. And the kids had a 70-year-old penpal whom we met on vacation in South Carolina. She sends them little gifts every other month or so and they send notes and drawings back. It’s all very sweet.

This is a great podcast from David Kessler and Brené on Grief and Finding Meaning

This is enraging: Nannies Tell the Truth About Working During the Coronavirus

A comedian explains the pandemic to herself from four months ago

Modern Love: Making Space in Marriage, Even as the Walls Close In

Cheryl Strayed Talks to Judy Blume About Raising Teens, Losing Religion, and Writing it All Down

Have you created a “quaran-team”? Are you considering doing so if lockdown restrictions ease through the summer where you live (social distancing measures are expected to continue for a long time, even as communities “re-open”)? Here is a how-to guide to making such an arrangement work.