"Since the pandemic started, I've wanted to stay connected with our community. Through the form of a weekly blog, I share my insights and reflections on various topics."
On Sunday, 60 Minutes achieved the trifecta for me. All three segments were interesting and uplifting. One featured Fed Chairman Powell and his outlook for the economy. The second featured innovative government programs to end pandemics forever and the third segment was on the artist Prince and the vast collection of unreleased music that he left in his “vault” when he died five years ago.
For college basketball aficionados, this past weekend was the Holy Grail. The NCAA Division 1 Women’s Final 4 games and championship were on Friday and Sunday, respectively, and the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Final 4 games and championship were on Saturday and Monday. It was an amazing weekend with the University of Arizona upsetting perennial powerhouse Connecticut on Friday to advance to the championship game.
Kira Newman, the managing editor of Greater Good, wrote an article about the recent release of the World Happiness Report. Each year for the past nine years, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network conducts a poll of individuals from every country. This year’s report is 212 pages and focused, as you would expect, on the impact of the pandemic on our wellbeing.
The Sunday New York Times has a section called Metropolitan Diary in which readers send in short stories about their lives. I read it every week because the stories are interesting but mostly because they are short. Last week, I read one story that made me laugh but also showed how adjusting your attitude and presentation can create an entirely new outlook for those around you.
This week, I had my first indoor, in-person meeting with a client in over a year. They had already been vaccinated and I had Covid in early February so have antibodies. Still there was some anxiety for me about the meeting. Should we keep our masks on? How do we greet one another? Should we even be meeting in person?
On the one-year anniversary of when most of the country went into lockdown, I thought optimism would be a good topic. Last week, I was invited to attend An Hour of Optimism hosted by the University College Dublin Alumni Group and was led by Noirin Mosely who got her degree from the University. Noirin is director at a non-profit organization based in Melbourne, Australia called Project Optimism.