Items

• 
  2020-10-05

  Silver Linings

  The past year was a very hectic one. Many things changed over 2020 and overall it was a whirlwind of a year. While there are many bad things to point out about it there are some silver linings too. Due to the coronavirus, we had to quarantine for a while. This forced me to spend a lot of time with my family, but I am very thankful for this now. My brothers are 4 and 1, but I am 14. This means that in 4 ½ years when I leave for college they are going to be 5 and 9, so I need to spend as much time with them as possible before I leave and start a new life away from them. 2020 showed me how important family really is and I will no longer take it for granted. Another silver lining of 2020 was learning that I have a love for baking. When quarantine started in March I would be extremely bored because I had to stay home. I was tired of staring at a screen for so long, so I knew I had to find something to do. This is how I stumbled upon baking. I made sugar cookies for my family one time and I knew I had to continue baking. I fell in love with it. Now I use it to help me calm myself. Being in control of everything I’m doing makes me feel grounded, so even when I’m stressed about something going on in my life, baking makes me feel in control so that I can handle the situation correctly. From the outside 2020 might have been bad, but if you look for the silver linings you realize it might’ve been just the year you needed.
• 
  2020-03-16

  Witness in the Plague A Simple Tip Sheet for Churches to Manage Infectious Diseases Like COVID-19

  A tip sheet for how churches should respond to CO-19.
• 
  2020-05-12

  Mixed feelings

  Biography
• 
  2021-02-21

  Mini Oral History Assignment

  This week, you're going to practice oral histories, a form of field research. You'll conduct two mini oral histories with two adults aged over 60 years old. The oral history must obtain informed consent from the person being interviewed, or it cannot be included in the archive. The mini oral histories are on: christina-wocintechchat-com-LQ1t-8Ms5PY-unsplash.jpg 1. Silver linings. Here is the prompt to read. Here is an example from the archive (Links to an external site.). First, identify two people you want to talk to and record. Ask them, if they will participate. Set a time to record. You may record an audio/video file using Zoom or another application. I used Rev on my phone to record my mom. Steps to process the mini oral history (here's a video overview (Links to an external site.)): 1. Read the informed consent statement and record the interviewee's response. 2. Read the prompt. 3. Record the response. 4. Thank the interviewee for their time. 5. Create a transcription of the oral history. Follow this template. (You can manually type it out or use a program like Otter.ai- please check the transcript for accuracy). 6. Submit the audio file & copy and paste the transcript into the description field. 7. Share the story with this individual once it has been curated in the archive. Tag the story with HST494, Arizona State University, and SilverJOTPY Submit the link to both your submitted stories in the archive. Your submission should 1) include verbal consent 2) An Mp3 file 3) a txt or doc transcript that has been edited for accuracy. 4) Title your story "Mini oral history with (interview first name and last name), date"
• 
  2021-04-20

  JOTPY Exhibit: "Arizona's COVID-19 Pandemics" by James Rayroux

  While working as a curatorial intern on ASU's 'A Journal of the Plague Year' COVID-19 archive, I created this exhibit on the pandemic experience within the state. In addition to obvious, overarching realities such as socioeconomic status and immediate access to healthcare systems, I initially believed one of the greatest deciding factors that determined one's experience in Arizona was an individual's residence in either predominantly urban or rural environments. The proposed exhibit had been originally titled "A Tale of Two Arizonas" to pay respect to Charles Dickens and the differing realities experienced here. To test my proposed hypothesis, I went about finding data, stories, and submissions that substantiated or disputed my premise. Within a short time, I had identified four distinct environmental drivers of personal pandemic experiences; to me, that indicated the existence of many more I hadn't yet found or had overlooked along the way. My evidence suggested a minimum of four pandemic locales: Urban, Rural, Border, and Tribal within the State of Arizona and its fifteen counties. The recorded health data and personal experiences demonstrated the naivete of my initial hypothesis, and I retitled the exhibit: "Arizona's COVID-19 Pandemics." The Exhibit Background section illustrates the vast dichotomies within Arizona in terms of population density and access to healthcare facilities. Given the virus's respiratory nature, these factors seemed especially relevant to driving diverse local experiences. I chose to include a flyer from the Coconino County Health and Human Services' "Face It! Masks Save Lives" campaign. The flyer included a specific line to "Stay Home When Sick" that seemed to illustrate a different public health paradigm than the broader "stay home" orders from Maricopa and Pima county. This section also features an image of Sedona's red rocks and a portion of The Wave to remind visitors of the wide-open rural areas accessible to all, as well as those with cultural significance to the Native American tribes and limited access to the general public. The next section asks a short, five-question survey in which visitors may participate. The Silver Linings piece features a short audio clip of a father and husband discussing some unexpected benefits of the pandemic. Visitors may explore additional Silver Linings stories and submit their own experience. The Tséhootsooí Medical Center piece seeks to illustrate the different pandemic experience on the state's tribal lands. I hoped to inspire some relevant emotional turmoil for the visitors through the piece's visual presentation. I wanted to create a series of waves with quotes from the medical center's healthcare workers. I hoped visitors' attention would be drawn to the large, bolded key words, and that they would first experience the segments out of sequence because of that. After potentially feeling a sense of chaos, they might settle themselves into a deliberate reading of the texts and find their own order within the experiences provided here. This piece allows further exploration of Native submissions and topics, a review of an additional related news article, and a submission prompt that invites visitors to offer guidance to hospital managers. The next piece illustrates the differences between mask mandates in communities across Arizona. In addition to hearing an audio clip of interviews with mayors and a public health official, visitors can explore additional submissions related to mask mandates and submit their thoughts on statewide mandates. The Arizona Department of Health Services provides zip-code specific infection data on its website, and the wide array of known case infections therein further illustrates potential dichotomies across the state. In working to include and represent this data in a consumable way, I encountered inconsistencies with tribal data. The nation's Indian tribes are overseen by Indian Health Services, a federal public health agency, and it does not collect or report data in the same manner as the State of Arizona or its counties. At first glance, the data would seem to suggest that tribal areas had less severe pandemic experiences than the rural and urban areas, which was not objectively true. I wanted to offer the unedited data to visitors, allow them to drawn their own conclusions, and invite them to offer their thoughts on what potential misunderstandings might emanate from these reporting differences. Visitors may also choose to review the foundational data from this piece, as well. I used the following two sections to offer submission prompts about the visitor's overall pandemic experience as a function of their location, as well as what they might have done if placed in charge of their city, county, or state during this pandemic. A diverse Search section allows visitors to explore additional topics of interest to them. 23 hyperlinks offer pre-defined search parameters. An Advanced Search link allows self-defined research, and a Join The Staff link connects visitors with opportunities to work within the JOTPY archive. A final section asks visitors to provide feedback on the exhibit, its content, and the pandemic in general. Both surveys within the exhibit will display overall results to visitors who participate in them. Through this process, I found incredible amounts and diversity of data outside the archive that spoke to these generally localized experiences, but not that much yet within the archive explained what Arizonans had experienced outside the state's urban environments. I created a call for submissions and delivered it to fifty rural entities that might help support the effort to collect and preserve more rural Arizona stories. Between all the local libraries, historical societies, museums, small-town mayors, and county health officials to whom I asked for help, I am optimistic the archive will better represent all Arizonans in the coming months and years. Despite the exhibit having been created, I ensured its internal search features would include future submissions and allow the exhibit to remain relevant long after its release.
• 
  2020-04-04

  Bubble People, Silver Lake, LA

  With parks and hiking trails closed, people have flocked to popular walking paths like this one that loops around Los Angeles' Silver Lake Reservoir, making physical distancing a challenge. These two bubble-wearing, yellow-suited walkers exhibit their solution. *Video posted by Mike Milley on Next-door Silver Lake Maltman
• 
  2020-04-30

  A Silver Lining amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

  I always look for the good despite the bleakness of what is happening.
• 
  2021-10-13

  HIST30060: My first pandemic quilt

  Last year (2020) I was living at home with my parents. My mum noticed how the pandemic was affecting me mentally and suggested that I make a quilt as a therapeutic tool. It was my first ever quilt, and it took several months. I enjoyed making it so much that I've kept on making quilts ever since. This quilt, therefore, reminds me of the pandemic's silver linings; it forced me to take up a hobby, one that slows me down. This photo is of the quilt on my bed now in Melbourne (2021).
• 
  2020-11-16

  Learning to Play Piano

  My roommate Vanessa decided to take advantage of the online classes available at our university and decided this was the year that she would learn piano. She had always wanted to learn how to play piano, but had never had the time to drive out to lessons. St. Mary's University this year was offering all music classes online and she decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Piano has become her new hobby, her new way to relax. As her roommate, I have had the unique opportunity to listen to her skills grow from the beginning of August to now. She said if it hadn't been for Covid-19, she would have never thought to have taken piano or had the opportunity to learn a new skill. There are some silver linings in this pandemic and some of them have come in the form of new hobbies and talents.
• 
  2020-04-27

  Humans of Covid-19 AU: Gersh Lazarow

  “Pretty early we shutdown the synagogue, and my family and I made the decision to go into isolation, as I am immune-compromised due to recovering from cancer. Since then we have been lucky to be able to launch a virtual congregation, and that’s been quite amazing. We have daily activities, prayer services and events. We are finding that people are engaging in our program now more than ever before because they are looking for content and, in isolation, are recognising the beauty that community brings to their lives. Things have been brought from the periphery to the centre of our consciousness, including the importance of relationships, value of community, sense of connectedness - many things that we take for granted until they are taken away. As a rabbi, my tradition is a great source of comfort to me, inspiring me to find paths to continue, rather than to stop Jewish life, just as past leaders have done over our long 4,000 year history. The synagogue may be shut, but our community never closes. We accept the need for social distancing but reject any possibility for social isolation. This year we added a paper clip to the Passover seder plate as a symbol of life right now. COVID-19 has required from us immense flexibility: the ability to bend and turn, but like the paper clip, the capacity to hold us together. The colour of the traditional paper clip, silver, is also symbolic, representing that even in this chaos there are silver linings, such as time, awakenings, valuable lessons, great blessings.” Instagram post on Gersh Lazarow, Rabbi, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.
• 2021-01-22

  The Silver Lining of Pandemic Community Building

  I have a busier schedule now than I did when I left the house for more than grocery runs and work. I spend a lot of my time on Zoom, as we all do, but doing things I was not doing before. In April, quickly after Friday the 13th, my #twitterstorian dreams came true when Dr. Joanne Freeman launched History Matters…. And So Does Coffee with the National Council for History Education. A couple of months later, The Gilder Lehrman Institute launched a weekly series talking with a historian about their book called Book Breaks. I could never attend conferences like the Southern Historical Association annual meeting, and now they were available to me virtually. The Western History Association annual meeting was online in October 2020 and was one of the best conferences and online meeting experiences that I think is possible given the circumstances. I have seen Joanne Freeman and Dr. Heather Cox Richardson speak together frequently over the last few months, and each experience is just as fun as the previous. I am on the board of the Arizona Technology in Education Association. The ability to host events and PD without needing to secure locations and catering has increased the number of events that we host by what feels like tenfold. I also started my Ph.D. in history at ASU, and with those added time blocks to my schedule expanded my little world with cohort and classmates. The pandemic has forced us to come together in new ways. By trying to carry on, those components of our lives shifted to the internet and thus actually made them more accessible to our larger communities than they were before. It has prompted even more of the existing conversations about virtual conferencing from an economic and environmental perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I am eagerly awaiting my 2nd vaccine and the days when I can travel for conferencing, community, and research again, but I think I will frame my plans around a different question. I don’t believe that I will have to ask myself to choose what to attend and not attend. Instead, it will be what things do I want to engage with in person (and what things can I) and what things I will still attend, but from afar. We are closing in on a year in this pandemic, and with the new year, I think it is essential to try and find some kind of silver lining – and it is that I think the communities that we have built over the last year and continue to build will be larger and stronger. Now I suppose I need to mull over the ramifications of overscheduling, burnout, and prioritization.
• 
  2020-06-24

  "I am not a silver lining kinda person, but..." tweet

  A tweet from author Anne Thériault talking about the silver lining to the disruption to routine brought on by the pandemic. She and her son have been staying with her mother in Kingston instead of their home in Toronto.
• 
  2020-10-31

  Connecting through Climbing in the Pandemic

  Just prior to the pandemic, I got seriously into rock climbing. For me, not only it was a much more fun way to work out, but it is absolutely a social sport. Everyone at the climbing gym was and continues to be extremely friendly, and you can simply strike up a conversation with anyone by simply asking what routes they are working on so that you can help one another find the most efficient way to reach the top. As all the routes are graded, just watching yourself improve and working on harder routes is an amazing feeling. With the outbreak of the pandemic, however, the gym closed until September, and I felt like such an important piece of my life went missing. While it was hard losing an activity and social outlet like that, I like trying to find silver linings in the difficult times. Even though it took me a while to come to this conclusion, I realized that it took the pandemic and losing it to truly appreciate the people there and sport itself. Ironically, I can almost contribute the pandemic to my continued obsession with climbing, even if it did rip it away from me for a few months. Attached is a picture of the first event back at the climbing gym, which was a lights-out event for Halloween where you could only use headlamps to see where you were going.
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from Michelle Wilson

  chellenguyenwilson #jotpysilver my silver linings...helping the environment by commuting less since we both work from home! Speaking quality time with hubby and making no excuses for our house projects! 🌿
• 2021-01-29

  A Covid interview

  it said how covid is impacting us. 1. How has the pandemic changed you? I have always known that humans are vulnerable but the pandemic has allowed me to feel each day how vulnerable we are and I am changed by this felt experience. Life has become more immediate and I think about safety in a more conscious way. 2. What has the pandemic brought with it? I don't understand this question... 3. Describe your experience over the past year in 3 words. Surprised, disciplined and curious. 4. What are some silver linings you have found in the past year? An abundance of family time, connecting with my cat, learning to paint, mastering pizza on the grill, deepening my yoga practice, less busy and alot less driving. 5. How has the pandemic emotionally impacted you? A whole range of emotions- sadness, grief, fear, disbelief, hope and concern.
• 
  2020-11-16

  item: Learning to Play Piano

  My roommate Vanessa decided to take advantage of the online classes available at our university and decided this was the year that she would learn piano. She had always wanted to learn how to play piano, but had never had the time to drive out to lessons. St. Mary's University this year was offering all music classes online and she decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Piano has become her new hobby, her new way to relax. As her roommate, I have had the unique opportunity to listen to her skills grow from the beginning of August to now. She said if it hadn't been for Covid-19, she would have never thought to have taken piano or had the opportunity to learn a new skill. There are some silver linings in this pandemic and some of them have come in the form of new hobbies and talents.
• 2020-05-01

  Music Club Quarantine Edition: Whatever Gets You Through the Night

  We’ve started a music club in almost every location we have lived (from New Mexico to New York). Our current music club is in Hamilton, New York. Whoever hosts a music club picks the theme and all attendees bring two songs to share related to that theme. The theme often aligns with a feeling (music that haunts) or a season (autumn sweater). However, sometimes it's tied to a place or format like last year's ode to the music video hosted at the Hamilton Theater One of the few silver linings of this pandemic has been reconnecting with friends near and far. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to bring together all of our friends for a globe-spanning, quarantine-themed virtual edition.  The theme for this music club was “whatever gets you through the night.” We wanted to know what songs were getting folks through the night right now, what songs they might always associate with this time. “Whatever” was intentionally vague and open to interpretation. Songs of unbridled joy? A burst of sonically cathartic rage? An extended meditation on melancholy? Whatever.
• 2024-01-09

  The Pandemic with my cousin.

  During the pandemic and quarantine, spending time with my cousin and friends became a lifeline amid the uncertainty that enveloped our lives. The isolation brought us closer, forging bonds that were resilient in the face of unprecedented challenges. During the lockdown me and my cousin still got to hangout a lot in person. We would do fun things like swimming and going to Taco Bell at 12 AM. I also had some online friends so I would video chat with them very frequently to pass time. We navigated the challenges of the pandemic together, sharing our fears and hopes, creating a support system that felt indispensable. As restrictions eased, cautious gatherings with friends became cherished moments. Our small circle provided a sense of normalcy in abnormal times. We'd organize outdoor activities, maintaining a safe distance yet reveling in the joy of each other's company. Laughter echoed louder than ever as we found solace in shared experiences. Navigating the challenges of online learning, my cousin and I became each other's sounding boards, helping one another adapt to the new normal. Late-night study sessions turned into opportunities to connect on a deeper level, fostering a bond that transcended familial ties. Our friendship withstood the test of time, proving that even a pandemic couldn't extinguish the flames of camaraderie. We explored new hobbies together – from baking cakes and cookies to attempting DIY projects. Each shared endeavor became a testament to our resilience and adaptability. Whenever we couldn't go outside we would watch movies, make tiktoks, and play games. Even during the pandemic one of our favorite places to go was still open. It is called Shadybowl Speedway. We would go there with my dad and her mom and watch cars race for hours and eat amazing food from the concession stand and run around with our friends there while also cheering on our uncle and her brother. Whether it was trivia, board games, or multiplayer video games, our competitive spirits thrived, and the time spent together brought us together in ways we hadn't anticipated. As the world gradually reopened, in-person gatherings became more frequent, yet the lessons learned during quarantine remained etched in our minds. The value of human connection became more apparent than ever, and the simplicity of spending time with loved ones was cherished like never before. Reflecting on those challenging times, I realize that amidst the chaos, a silver lining emerged. The pandemic taught us the importance of resilience, adaptability, and the irreplaceable value of relationships. My cousin and friends became anchors in a storm, and the memories we created together stand as a testament to the strength of our bonds during those trying times.
• 2020-05-29

  Verazzano Bridge

  Taking daily walks during the pandemic didn’t make me feel “healthy” or “well-adjusted”. I watched the way my neighbors and I would pull our masks up when we passed each other on the street. Saddening, on one hand; a show of communal care, on the other. I think it’s human to want to pull a silver lining out of a tragedy and I guess the silver lining here is that I had time to s l o w down and look at my community, not just the people, but the signs on storefronts, dishes of cat food next to porches, and yes, the outline of the Verazzano peeking out through the clouds hovering over Belt Parkway. I used to walk on this walkway when I was a child too, and though the pandemic has changed everything, the fishermen are still here, their rods propped against the rail. People are still riding tandem bikes. Still laughing, talking, breathing in the salty air.
• 
  2021-07-30

  Silver Lining- creativity brought on by the pandemic

  I found myself doing “creative” things that I hadn’t had time for previously and so I asked Staten Island artists what they had created during the pandemic. For some it was a reaction to the politics of the time. For others it was an opportunity to try new media.
• 
  2021-02-22

  #JOTPY Silver from Liam Sutphin

  I learned how much of a shift in norms a pandemic can cause. Now, when I watch old TV shows and people cough all over someone or spend a lot of time in public while sick, it freaks me out and seems so gross. I never felt that way about those things before COVID.
• 
  2021-03-02

  Quarantine Silver-Lining Moments.

  It is quite obvious that the Class of 2020 all share a collective disappointment with graduating via zoom but I personally had no problem with it. I honestly believed that it was a blessing in disguise, I didn’t have to sit in the hot sun and wait for my name to be called, wait there awkwardly as the teachers give an mediocre speech about me, and lie to all my classmates face when I claim that’ll I miss them and promise to keep in touch. In the beginning of Virtual Learning, I was the happiest I’ve ever been, which was due to the majority of my teachers teachers that were having a difficult time adjusting to online learning and were only able to assign one work sheet per week. During the first week of the pandemic, I was able to actually find my true self, my dislikes and likes, my ambitions, and my fashion sense. Although it got tiring staying home for the majority of my time, I still preferred to stay home and keep my safe from this deadly virus compared to actually having a social life, I learned that I appreciate my company and being alone more than I thought. As some may find quarantine completely damaging to their mental health and are unable to spend their days inside, it did the opposite for me, It improved my mental health drastically and gave me time to begin my journey of self-love and because of this I honestly would not mind if New York implemented yet another lockdown. I believe it would be beneficial to everyone because it would not only flatten the curve but it could potentially allow us to have less restrictions during the summer.
• 
  2020-03-13

  The Silver Lining

  On March 13th, the day after my birthday, I had treated myself to finally getting my septum pierced after wanting that piercing for months beforehand. Little did I know then that I would be almost the only one that has seen it in person since then. Two days after that, we had received an email from our university’s administration informing us that we would be allowed to leave school and continue classes online at home if we felt unsafe at school as concerns of the virus got bigger and louder with each passing day. The writing was on the wall; Duquesne University was going to be closing down. That email would come on the car ride back home an hour after me and my sister had already left campus. Once the semester was over and summer began, even with our own specific set of challenges, I actually feel my family was surprisingly equipped to handle the new world we were thrust into. Both of my parents are severely disabled; my mother has not been physically able to work for years and my father recently had to give up his floor cleaning services once his health gave out. As a family, we’ve found that we are much stronger together, and we “make it work” as they say. My mom did have a little fun in responding to our physically healthy friends and family talking about being trapped in their house for months on end with “Welcome to the club, you get used to it.” She was always (mostly) joking, of course, but I do think there is some truth to this joke. I grew up with a mom who rapidly succumbed to multiple debilitating chronic disorders, and that kind of circumstance opens your eyes to different experiences than many of your peers who did not experience the same. Listening to the words of more people than I can count who thought being disabled was all about staying home and collecting a check have now maybe had their opinions changed based on this new perspective, I hope so at least. This all being said, I also have to acknowledge the privilege I have in having a socially stable homelife. I personally know more than a few friends from school who had genuine, serious concerns for their mental or physical wellbeing when we were told everyone had to return home. I try to remember every day not to take what I have for granted. If the plague year has taught me anything, it is that I have a lot to be grateful for.
• 2019-12-09

  Why Skiing Won't Work in a Pandemic

  WHY SKIING WON"T WORK Dear Director Silver Thread Public Health (Mineral County, Colorado), I've had a few days to mull over the response made to my comments to the commissioners earlier in the-week regarding the ranking of Mineral County on the Colorado COVID 19 Dial and dashboard. Though I am not a resident of Mineral County I do spend the better part of my day in the county some 150 days a year, forgive me for commenting again, but I feel duty bound that someone goes on the record in hopes that a different viewpoint might have influence, even if in the back of the mind of the county's decision making as the pandemic progresses. I see some flaws in the reasoning given for gerrymandering Dial levels, rather than using them as they are described: Nowhere on the state’s Dial web pages is the decision process STH is using described or encouraged as its proper use. To say it is for guidelines mostly and not necessarily classification misrepresents the public’s perception and use of the dial. Changing classification to a county’s preferred level interferes with individual and the public’s crucial health options and choices. There is an assumption in the explanation that because Mineral County is a small town that somehow the numbers of incidents per 100,000 would be treated differently. Is the known math of the virus and its tendency for spread somehow fortuitously different here than the rest of the planet? I think not. 1.7 deaths per 100 cases works for COVID whether there are 700 people present or 7,000 people present. Rates per 100, 000 are employed exactly to gauge the seriousness of outbreaks regardless of the size of communities. Dangerous spread in sparsely populated states made up of mostly small towns disapproves Creede’s desire for s special dispensation from the disease. The explanation of ad hoc policies and improvised rankings and guidelines fall on the premise of a Public Health expert’s interpretation of “social responsibility,” an expert completely without the means to accurately monitor or enforce “social responsibility.” Social Responsibility, by the way, is also the governor’s preferred preventative and even his office has acknowledged that it has not worked. As illogical as it is that the smallness Mineral County somehow protects it from the realities of a deadly virus that obeys its own rules (and we know its rules well) no matter where it is transmitting, the wishful thinking that a small town knows best how to make its own rules defies even the remnants of reason when the policies disregard that the county includes a resort where thousands of people have and are gathering. Even if ranking and guidelines (at the time of my comment or now) were helpful per the improvised policies of STH relative to Creede, if that logic holds, the ranking and policies for small Creede certainly could not logically also be applied to Wolf Creek Ski Area, which was and is gets visited by thousands of people per day packed into parking lots in an area about the same area as Creede and at much higher density of people per square foot. Many of the ski areas visitors have come from far flung states with high infection rates, and most are from cities where small town “social responsibility” is often something very different than enjoyed in Creede. (I’ve seen plates from over 20 different states and from literally every corner of the county.) Small town or other norms of “social responsibility” also does not describe the atmosphere or the intent of a ski resort. It’s a vacationland where, in part, people travel a long way to take a break from their normal “social responsibility.” Indeed there is a strong element of maverick independence associated with the sports of snowboarding and skiing--including the apres socializing associated; It’s a place where, expectedly, we are allowed to break the rules a little, or a lot. Even within the community, if the Dial is not accurate, it can be intentionally or unintentionally misused by leadership in organizations and businesses that have to make decisions about gathering. Not everyone understands the elaborate process described in the thinking of STH; even a reader of it might not be helped by its crafting. Some individuals and leaders predisposed to attitudes resistant to the realities of COVID 19 will inevitably use lower ranking to justify their own personal and organizational loopholes. Employers of that bent may use the misinformed ranking or juggled guidelines as leverage over employees who would otherwise be best protected by accurate “Level” and guidelines that adhere to the Dial’s published parameters. Fiddling with the COVID Dial on a county level also ignores what public health experts are saying about the current dangers of the disease and models (which have, so far turned out to be pretty darn true) forecasting a debacle this winter, for everyone, including small towns. Fatalists and skeptics of the virus are using today to deny what we know is going to happen in a near tomorrow. Those tomorrows could be better or worse depending on what is done now. Fiddling for little windows of “freedom” will enable the most likely to spread among us to spread, and delays or manipulations of accuracy will cost lives, lives that in a small town count very, very much to all of us. The danger of taking liberties with vital Public Health information by debating the application and inventively blending the facets of a Dial Level leans towards a see-saw of levels, downgrading too soon too much and upgrading too late too little. I sincerely hope that Mineral County will make more effort to educate the public and leadership how to understand and use the dial instead of explaining (or not publicly explaining) the reasons for toying with and complicating it. It might also cut down on your mail, and relieve Mineral County’s health decision makers from the burden of taking on extra potentially egregious extra-personal responsibilities, pressures and culpability for public health outcomes. Used properly, the Dial is a tool that uniformly makes those responsibilities a matter of conferred, collaborative public policy and record rather than an ever shifting discussion inviting undue blame (or undue congratulation) for decisions that might be identified as personal. My prayers are with you as you make these excruciating decisions, and I pledge my personal social responsibility to your efforts. No need to reply. I know you are busy. Sincerely, Wayne Sheldrake South Fork, CO PS I don’t put this all on STH or Mineral. I know adjoining counties are also picking and choosing from the Dial. All the better reason to keep it descriptive rather than interpretive. W. K. Sheldrake (Wayne) is the author of Instant Karma: The Heart and Soul of a Ski Bum, #1 on Outside Magazine Online’s list of “6 Adventure Books We’d Read Again and Again,” and Foreword Magazine’s ‘Gold Medal’ Adventure Book of the Year (2007). He is recording his pandemic experience in a memoir THE19: Confessions of a Mad (American) COVIDodger. He lives in Southern Colorado with his “high risk” wife where there is plenty of wide open space. They do not currently have a dog.
• 2020-11-04

  A Silver Lining

  I’m so glad to have supportive friends that share my interests. As a huge Star Wars nerd, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Season 2 of The Mandalorian. On November 4, my friend and I sat down together to watch the first episode of Season 2 that was released. It was FANTASTIC. It was a nice reprieve from the monotony of everyday life and our discussion post-watching was a great distraction from what is to come for the nation. I just about died from laughter when my friend, quite poignantly, asked me: “do you think that we should just say ‘fuck it’ and move to Tatooine and fight giant Alaskan Bull Worms in the sand for a living?” That’s a friend for life right there.
• 
  05/03/2020

  Finding the Silver Lining

  On this Sunday I decided to try and take things slower and be thankful for every step. I was thankful for my breakfast, church online love stream, workout equipment I have at home, my family, the internet, lunch, and dinner. I was especially thankful for my little sister that is just a blast to hangout with. She is just able to be happy and positive during everything. Also, my dog has been in a really good mood as expected. I tried to be thankful and spend an extra minute in pray before I ate. I decided that after I worked out, I would read a lot because I am grateful that the library has set up a way to check out eBooks. I decided I would take advantage of that and try to knock down as many books I can off my reading list that I created a long time ago. I am going to try to keep this type of mentality for the rest of the pandemic and forward in my life. This could be a way to help the other things in my life that I cannot do right now because of the virus. *Original text of "Creator:" Nicole Dumitrascu #LSMS #NSD
• 
  2020-04-01

  a screenshot of me and my friends on Facebook messenger

  Even with the social-distancing, our group of friends were able to connect and catch-up on hearing about each others lives. We can find a silver-lining in this mess of coronavirus.
• 
  2020-06-01

  Tastes like Home

  The pandemic changed so many things about everyday life, and even our food wasn't spared. Not only did the effects of COVID-19 attack our sense of taste, but it even affected those who hadn't contracted it. Going out to restaurants was completely out of the question, and to avoid spending too much money on take-out, my family continued to brave the grocery stores. There was a silver lining, though, because it started to change the way we felt about meals. I spent more time cooking with them back home in Vienna, VA, and now that I live here in Tempe I find a lot of those habits have stuck with me. I'm especially glad that I started baking more before I left home. Baking was a way to get the whole family together and give each of us something to look forward to that day, in a time when days kind of blended together and none of us knew what to expect. What's more, we'd all heard stories about how early COVID symptoms included loss of smell and taste, so I think there was a small part of me that was reassured by actually being able to taste what we'd all worked on together. I included a brownie recipe that I use a lot with this post, so you can try it if you like and get a taste for how it still offers me some comfort.
• 2022-04-29

  It's The Little Things

  The pandemic was full of many things that turned the world upside down: the loss of jobs, death, and the decline in mental health for many students. I remember when the semester was transferred to fully online, many students like myself celebrated for the extended Spring Break and the ability to attend Zoom classes in pajamas. However, months passed and the daily lack of contact with acquaintances and friends, isolation, and lack of activities turned the days quite mundane quickly. The drastic change in an active lifestyle to such a slow paced one definitely had a negative impact on conditions such as depressive symptoms, health anxiety, and an overall learning curve of the lifestyle. Digging deeper, I know many families whose breadwinner of the family lost their job because many places were letting their staff go due to the lack of demand of labor. When dealing with a global pandemic, death was also a central topic to deal with. Many countries did not have access to medical equipment such as ventilators and thousands of people were dying in my motherland. I personally lost some family members and many people I know have as well. While the pandemic introduced our lives to a dark state, there was a slight silver lining, and that was spending time with the loved ones. Over the years before the pandemic, I feel like the world moved at an unbearably fast pace. My days consisted of going to class and work, possibly spending some time with friends, doing homework, and sleeping for the most part. As the world started to slow down because of the COVID pandemic, my father was finally able to work from home, my sister had online classes, and my mother didn’t have to rush to pick my sister up from school. Often, our meals during dinner would be inconsistent and spent near the TV as everyone had their own schedules. However, when the pandemic hit, it was advised to not eat at restaurants and take out fast food. Such restrictions led to trying out new recipes and laughing in the kitchen. Little moments such as conversations at the dinner table are still some of my favorite memories. In addition to cherished time with my family, I was able to finally rediscovered some hobbies that I used to enjoy years ago. Before the pandemic, my life had begun to revolve only around academics and I had forgotten what it felt like to spend the evening painting or trying out a new dance. However, spending months at a time at home forced me to redirect myself to other forms of entertainment when there was no use of travelling to other places. This really helped me define myself as someone who has so many other interests rather than just a student who studied 24/7. I still try to carry these hobbies into my schedule now that the world is slowly coming back to its fast pace.
• 
  2022-03-21

  Logistics in the COVID Era

  Logistics and Transportation have seen dramatic changes since the beginning of the pandemic, and as such, my life has drastically changed as well. When the pandemic started, I worked for a trucking company that had grown into a major corporation. With all of the uncertainty in the world, I decided to bet on myself and leave that job to start my own company. This is how my life has changed since then, and what a typical day in my world looks like now, which is much different than it looked at the beginning of 2020. I wake up at 6 am and grab my laptop, I then log in to my load boards and post the loads I have to work on for the day. 90% of my business is done over email, so I am able to get my work started before I even start to get ready for the day. I then have time to talk with my wife as we get ready, answering emails as we go. When 8 am rolls around, I wake up my two sons, ages 8 and 1. We have family time in the morning, eating breakfast and watching the news before my wife heads off to her Law School. I then take my boys to their respective schools and drop them off for the day. At this point, if I have any errands to run I usually try to knock those out. I then head home and start bidding on new loads for the days to come. And since most of my work is done over email, I am able to knock any household chores out that need to be done for the day. When lunch rolls around I like to meet my wife for a quick bite some days, and other days I eat a simple lunch at home. I am usually able to wrap up most of my business by 3:30 pm and head to pick up my 1-year-old son from his school. When we get back home, we meet my 8-year-old son as he is getting off the school bus around 4:15. We have some father/sons time, and my wife usually arrives back home around 5:30 pm. Once we have dinner, I then get to work on whatever schoolwork or reading I need to do, and then a little more family time before bed. Since the pandemic forced/allowed me to take on this new opportunity, I am able to see my family much more than I did when I was spending 50+ hours per week in an office, with another 5 hours spent commuting. The pandemic has been awful for a lot of reasons, but as a silver lining, I hope that we have learned how to be more efficient with our time and to realize that the bulk of our waking hours do not necessarily need to be spent in an office when we can accomplish the same amount or more remotely, while greatly increasing our mental health.
• 
  2020-04-25

  How it started... How it's going

  So many things about the pandemic has been (and continues to be) traumatizing and negative and irritating. But looking back through my phone I saw a photo from the first puzzle I did in April 2020, and then the first photo of our Pandemic Pet, Sunny, from October of that year. So, instead of focusing on the disruptions, today I will focus on two good things from the pandemic. Putting together puzzles has been a fun, stress-relieving activity for me, and I continue to have a puzzle going on our rarely used table even if our lives are back to full busy mode. So that is a hobby I picked up during the pandemic that I can see continuing long into the future. Also, the kitty has brought fun and cuddles to our family, and we all love her (except, perhaps, the dog). Getting a cat was not on our radar until we were locked down and sad. So, for now, I am thankful for puzzles and kitties.
• 
  2021-05-10

  HIST30060: Helping Me Study

  This is photograph shows one of my dogs, Elfie, sitting next to where I study for university during the pandemic. She and her sister, Bowie, would fall asleep next to me and keep me company. Often, they would help keep me motivated when I was struggling by hassling me back to the table. It is easy to look back over the past two years and look at the negatives, however, it is moments like the one depicted in the picture which help remind me that there were positive moments too.
• 
  2020-08-26

  Survey Finds Dog Owners Are Exercising More, Enjoying Working From Home During the Pandemic

  According to Gallant’s survey, more than 68% of pet parents have spent more time with their pets than with people during the pandemic. An even higher number — 83% of pet parents — said they would continue to work from home after the pandemic. Finding a "fur"ever friend has been an unexpected silver lining during this challenging time. Gallant’s survey found that of the people who adopted since the pandemic began, more than 79% originally didn’t plan to adopt. More time at home means more walks around the neighborhood, too. About 40% of dog owners reported that they are getting more than 5,000 steps in every day compared to 21% of non-dog owners. "It’s not only safe to keep pets in the home, but also beneficial, as they can serve as a source of comfort during a crisis," Julie Castle, the CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, told PEOPLE back in March. "The companionship of pets has been shown to reduce stress and lower anxiety, helping people to feel calmer and more secure when the news from the outside world is distressing."
• 
  2020-03-23

  Mental Health and COVID

  During the start of this year the country went through something extremely frightening and new to everyone. The lockdown was something that cause a lot of teens and people get into a really bad state of mind. Being told you weren’t allowed to go out for groceries, see friends, go to the gym, or even visit your local gas station. People were scared and worried about their health and the health of their family members. For myself, having the lockdown meant I couldn’t go to school nor could I participate in my first year of college soccer. It had a really negative impact on my mental health and I started to do things that I would never see myself doing. I was relying on alcohol a lot to get me through the days of just binge watching tv shows and movies. Because I was binge drinking, I would then binge eat and not be active at all. Growing up as an athlete and just as a very active person in general I would never binge eat or binge drink. I started to gain weight and look down on myself a lot. A lot of people don’t realize the impact that the lockdown had on people who really relied on structure to get them through the days and hold them accountable. It wasn’t until September that I really looked at myself and was disgusted with who I became and what I was relying on. I started to run and exercise outside. I have now lost 15 lbs and go to the gym 5 times a week for pleasure instead of punishment. It has been the best journey for my fitness lifestyle and I am so grateful that COVID brought that to me.
• 
  2020-09

  Covit-19 and the outdoors

  What do you do when you cannot do what you normally do? In Arizona the guidelines of the Governor have been pretty light except for a couple of weeks on April 2020, otherwise he was very proud to say that Arizona would follow the CDC guidelines “the Arizona way”. Meaning? We recommend the mask but is up the business to decide the extent of the enforcement; six feet distance, the same; stay home if you feel you have symptoms, of course. I have to say that the business, for the most part, have taken a more responsible posture than the authorities. Even today April 2021, when the Governor remove any obligation to wear mask, I continue to see most of the business, and population at large, that continue to wear the mask in public. So, with these light restrictions what do you do when you cannot do what you normally do? The answer for many Arizonians, and visitors, has been outdoor activities! Hiking, biking or simply going to the park. My story is of last September 2021. I too decided to resume my mountain biking activity in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and I sent my bike to a shop for routine maintenance and replace of my old tires. What I find out is that the shop could not find any tire of my kind through their suppliers in fact, they told me, it is getting difficult even to buy a new bike, the bike market just exploded . . . I was not alone. They suggest for me to go to Amazon and look for tires and I was lucky to find my tires from a pool of only 7 in all US!!! Silver line: thank to Covint-19 the US population is finally exercising, I’ll take it
• 
  2021-04-20

  Normal Life thru pandemic state

  The object of my writing was to inform others my life was fairly regular throughout this lovely pandemic. It is important to me because I must stay focused on the importance of even though there are crazy things in life that happen, the silver lining, is always to focus on the positive.
• 
  2021-03-10

  #JOTPYSilver from mszneyugn

  #jotpysilver my silver lining was that this pandemic has taught me how little I actually need to be happy. It all came down to knowing that family was safe, having quality time, and learning to appreciate the simplicities in life. It’s taught me a different level of empathy and patience that I didn’t know I needed.
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from ellie.craft

  #jotpysilver my silver lining was that i got to get a kitty and spend lots of time with her.
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from hayden.craft_

  #jotpysilver my silver lining during the pandemic was when all 5 of the major American sports were playing at the same time, due to the season delays that year and it was an awesome week of sports. I can speak for me and all my friends in saying it was definitely a bright spot during such a hard time.
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from Nicole

  itsnicolegaston My silver lining is that more time at home allowed me to be able to spend time studying for my classes and the LSAT. I graduated from ASU in December, summa cum laude, and aced the LSAT. Over the past weekend I received my first law school acceptance with a scholarship offer. I probably would not be attending law school in the fall if the pandemic didn’t happen.
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from Keri Bishop

  keri_on #JOTPYsilver I got engaged and purchased my first home. And then adopted two kittens who now are my coworkers as I continue to WFH
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from Christine

  christinejwong #jotpysilver I’m grateful I got to spend more time with my kids that wouldn’t haven been possible if I was going into the office 5 days a week.
• 
  2021-03-01

  #JOTPYLesson from Robin Keagle

  In retrospect, I have learned that the initial stay-at-home order was an unexpected gift to my husband, daughter, and me. Although the reason for it was unfortunate, it turned out to be a blessing in many ways. Instead of rushing to and from school and work, we had time to eat together more, watch movies, and develop a comfortable but temporary new routine. To be sure, not every day was bright and shiny yet we definitely appreciated this unique time together. Our youngest will be off to college in a couple of years which made it even more special to have those moments with her. Family is everything. PS. I also learned that Zoom has a great HD filter that allows me to wear much less make-up, and how to coordinate a work blouse with pajama pants which is a silver lining indeed. #JOTPYLesson Julie Watters Amber Peters Kim Kimberly Rankin Michele Gable Stefanie Thayer Sinanovic
• 
  2020-11-21

  Romance Despite the Pandemic

  Despite the pandemic and all it entailed, I was able to meet my current boyfriend and fall in love. He has made this uncertain time, incredibly better.
• 
  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from Tina

  #jotpysilver my silver lining during the pandemic was that I was able to get closer with a lot more people. I have become great friends with those who have stayed in touch, and I am so grateful for them. Having a community during the pandemic really helped me feel less scared and alone overall. Otherwise, the pandemic would have been too lonely and isolating.🤍💗
• 
  2021-03-14

  #JOTPYSilver from Kiki

  My silver lining is more time to just play with my kids. My daughter is a 4th grader and I’m guessing the days of Legos, costumes, and acting out plays with stuffed animals will be fading away sooner than later. Having this year at home to enjoy these moments before teenage interests become more fun than playing with her mom, dad, and little brother is something I’m very grateful for.
• 
  2021-03-14

  #JOTPYSilver from Tracey Kole

  My silver lining is that my local community has come together to support people whose homes were flooded in the mid Michigan flood.
• 
  2021-03-11

  #JOTPYSilver from Fernanda L

  My pandemic silver lining was staying with my family all day watching movies and playing board games, it was some fun days Red heart #JOTPYSilver
• 
  2021-02-08

  #JOTPYSilver submission from Morgan Keena

  Silver lining - I got to spend far more time with my husband over the last year than I ever imagined. He’s a busy 3rd year med student but this pandemic really slowed things down for both of us. @covid19archive1 #JOTPYSilver
• 
  2021-02-08

  #JOTPYSilver submission from Brianna Walker

  One silver lining is that I got a puppy, (along with pretty much every millenial during this time), but he's a great cuddle buddy and a source of so much joy ❤ @covid19archive1 #JOTPYsilver