Jon Vail, 60, a part-time chef and seasonal hiking guide in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, has his partner, Glenn, to thank. The two have managed to spend lots of time together, even though they live in different states. Closer to home, Vail has been walking three to five miles several days a week with his friend Cheryl. “She discovered this Norwegian concept of not just dealing with the cold of winter, but enjoying it,” he says. “It’s called ‘friluftsliv.’ So that’s what we do when we’re outside walking in nature.” Friluftsliv roughly translates to “open-air living,” a term credited to the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, from his poem “On the Heights,” about a farmer who hits the road for a year. But you don’t just have to brave subzero temperatures to fully engage in friluftsliv; you can just take a long bike ride, walk the dog, or stroll with pals. The point is: Get outside and “embrace the suck.” That’s what Ann Rebecca Laschever, a public relations executive in Woodmere, New York, has been doing nearly every day since April. Laschever, her sister, and her sister’s sister-in-law have been taking three- to five-mile walks: Laschever in Woodmere, the others in Concord, Massachusetts, and Alexandria, Virginia. They’ve walked in rain, sleet, and snow, from 18-degree chill to 95-degree heat. “It has saved all of us,” Laschever says. “We talk about movies we’re watching, books we’re reading. Before the election, we talked about Trump. We vent about our quarantine partners who didn’t do the dishes, or about how hard hybrid learning is for our kids. We complain about Zoom calls … and about people who don’t know you’re supposed to walk against traffic, my personal pet peeve. It’s saved us.” Here are five more personal reflections on resilience in the shadow of COVID-19, and how a little help from people and pets and finding ways to work with (and for) others can make a big difference.
David Wallis, 54, Executive Director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, New York
Wallis points to “the people I serve [and] journalists who have taken it on the chin in the last decade and especially in the last year. “Also, having clarity of purpose and a sense of purpose. If you feel a mission that needs to be accomplished, it helps on a day-to-day basis. There are people whose lives I can help make a little bit easier when they may be losing their job or furloughed. I feel a responsibility and a mission. “Finally, I’ve taken immense pleasure being around my dog, Walter. If I have to go away for a day or two, when I come in the front door, that dog thinks he hasn’t seen me for a year and he’s really excited. Dogs are so demonstrative and joyous in their welcome, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. It’s so thrilling to know you’re pleasing this little animal.”
Elizabeth Soltero, 77, Consultant in Clinical Cardiovascular Research Studies, Dallas
For Soltero, it comes down to “one word: hope. Hope for all those fighting on the front lines to be safe and healthy, and for them and their families who are sacrificing to be supported during their efforts. “Hope for science and all those working to bring improved therapies for those who are ill, and vaccines to prevent more illness and death. Hope that the world shares their successes and failures gleaned from their battle with this beast of a virus with all others in the world so that all may find healing. “Hope that none of us forget the ones gone too soon or their families and loved ones. Hope for people to be thoughtful, kind, and patient with each other. Hope for those with financial and emotional hardships to have assistance and understanding. “Hope for the teachers and administrators to find solutions to bring some semblance of normalcy for students and families. Hope for politicians to put aside party politics in search of solutions for the greater good. “And importantly, hope that people reflect inward to search for and acknowledge some of the good moments (wherever and whatever they may be) that have happened in this devastating, frightening, and unpredictable journey that has been thrust upon us all. Hope. I cannot move through this world without it.”
Diane Zweiman Weidenbaum, 53, Luxury Travel Adviser, Hudson Valley, New York
Weidenbaum says that something as simple as a new spin on family dinners helped get her through some of the toughest times. “My husband, our two teenage daughters, and I did a series of themed dinners during the shutdown,” she says. “My daughters would pick the themes. We had to dress up but not show our outfits until we came down to the kitchen. We did about twenty or so to keep us from going stir crazy.”
Tracy Morris, 53, Communications Executive, Menlo Park, California
Morris is thankful for neighbors, family, and a sitcom that she’s been able to lean on these past months. “Starting in April and continuing until it got cold in November, we gathered in our front yard every Friday evening with three to four other couples from our neighborhood,” she says. “We used to see each other all the time when our kids were younger and played together, but less so as they became teenagers with their own schedules. Our gatherings have been great for reconnecting and for counting on each week because, honestly, what else would we all be doing? “My husband and I have played gin rummy almost every night after dinner. It’s been a comforting ritual that harkens back to when I used to do that with my dad growing up. “Finally, Schitt’s Creek has been my husband’s and my go-to date-night activity throughout the pandemic. Its mix of cynicism and optimism has really hit the spot. Hopefully, we will get the vaccine soon, because we’re almost finished with the final season.”
