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During this pandemic, people are looking for guidance and support in different places. Talk about where you've been looking for support, and how helpful (or not helpful) these sources have been to you.

I'm glad for this question; until I wrote this and re-read it I didn't realize that I was actively seeking all these sources of support! At the beginning of the pandemic I was stranded overseas. A very kind person added me to a local whatsapp group so I wouldn't feel Isolated so far from home, and it truly was a lifesaver to have that connection to the outside world. It was made up of about twenty local women and it was like a virtual village--advice, jokes, photos, support--all of it. I then created my own group with some friends back home to help me feel connected to them and to focus on positive and humorous posts--and we've had some great laughs with all the fabulous satire and jokes that people have developed. So, Whatsapp groups have been a lifesaver. Zoom has also been a lifesaver. My family is dispersed from California to the east coast to Europe so getting together is challenging anyway, But with Zoom we meet about every six weeks for some holiday or someone's birthday...and that's kept us all connected. Same with my friends who are far more open to gathering on zoom or video chats. It's a really nice way to stay connected. Finally, I always look for things that are positive or innovative to help distract me or keep me from getting too sad or help bridge me across the next few weeks as I need to have something to keep me hopeful. For example, WXPN in Philly ran a poll of its listeners for the top 2020 songs of all times and are now playing them and counting them down--it's great fun listening to all these old songs from the 60s and 70s I have not heard in ages...(As a total aside Joan Armatrading just did a PSA for the station--i had NO idea she was British!). Of course there is also the late night comedy, which has been a total life saver. I wish I could take a bite of Trevor Noah. He is so smart and funny and adorable! I've also learned which friends to rely on at various times. For example, I have one friend who loves to kvetch so when I 'm down I call her and we bitch for hours. I have other friends who like to focus more on positive things so I call them when I'm looking to be happy. I rely really heavily on three papers--the Washington Post, the New York Times, and The Guardian for a range. Their reporting has been outstanding on the virus. I feel better when I am informed and I feel pretty well up to speed with these three papers. Finally, there is my family. My spouse has been very solid and supportive, giving me lots of back rubs when I am stressed. My grown kids (21 and 25) have also been very focused, attentive and emotionally present. My mother, with early dementia, is deteriorating quite a lot, and so I talk frequently with my older brother too, who lives in Boston, and that's been comforting. We've grown a lot closer over the year.