Isolation Inspiration: 5 Times The Internet Really Pulled Through This Week

Ok, we know that this pandemic has been terrifying and overwhelming and inconvenient. Even under the best of conditions, we’ve been thrown from our regularly scheduled lives into some no-mans-land where no one knows what day it is or what is important or how they should be spending their time. I’m personally sticking with a 25-25-50 breakdown, toggling between (1) eating (2) trying to teach my kids literally anything and (3) re-watching every late-90s romantic movie I can remember. (While everyone else in the world is flipping out over Tiger King, I’m just over here like: Armageddon, Con Air, Titanic. Repeat). So yes, things are a bit wacky in our worlds, BUT, through all of this madness, something magical is happening, as well….

EVERYONE ELSE IS STUCK AT HOME, TOO!!

Yes, nearly everyone in the US and UK is sheltering in place at this point. Which, from one angle, might seem like a pretty bleak prospect…but with the existence of the internet, can actually be quite exciting. That’s because the people we love, the people we depend on for escape, the artists and writers and musicians, who so often feel so distant from us, now feel closer than ever. (The playing field has been leveled. All of us live in sweatpants now.)

Maybe you’ve noticed that every time you head to instagram you’re hit with a zillion notifications that people you are following are “going live”. (It is possible that I am technologically inept and need to adjust my settings, but I digress.) Under normal conditions, I wouldn’t really be apt to click on these live videos, assuming there might be some produced/commercial feel to whatever they were doing. This week, however, I started seeing new names pop up, creatives I admire, authors I live for, bands I’d never noticed on instagram…all suddenly “going live”. Hm. My interest was piqued. So I started clicking when they popped up…and you guys…hold onto your hats. (Or, your phones? Or whatever the modern day equivalent to that sentiment might be.) These people are putting on workshops and holding live readings and playing fucking concerts in their living rooms!!!

Please stop what you’re doing (YES STOP READING THIS) and go follow everyone you love on instagram! Comedians are performing, children’s authors are reading their books, people are CONNECTING in any way that they can—all in the name of banding together to protect the most vulnerable among us. (I know it’s the internet, and social media at that, but there is a real beauty here, and I hope it is not lost on us.)

I am sure you have all sorts of strange obsessions and specific tastes, but this is what we’ve loved this week, and we think you’d love it, too. (Also, we REALLY want to know how you pulled through this week and what helped you to get there? Was it a movie or a podcast or a book or a friend? Tell us about it!)

Here are a few of the things that made our life bearable this week.

5 Times The Internet Really Pulled Through

This acoustic set from Yoke Lore was like the coziest, sweetest performance ever. He was just sitting on the floor of his living room with all of his plants behind him. (We’re probably best friends now.) If you don’t know who this is, please go watch the video for his song “Beige” and fall in love. In his live performance he explains that the song is about finding a way to tell someone how you feel about them in a very specific way. (example: Let me go under your skin // Let me find the demon that drives those heavenly limbs). I’d tell you more but I’m sobbing just thinking about it. His next set will be in support of MusicCares (which provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need), so stay tuned!

We also loved Distraction Tactics with Dan Smith, lead singer of the band Bastille (who, interesting fact, would almost-definitely be my boyfriend if I weren’t married.) This new series is like a book club, but for films. (Wait, is a film club a thing?) Either way, here we come together to talk about movies from around the world. This week, we started in the UK with cult-classic Shaun of the Dead, complete with a pre-recorded interview with Simon Pegg (amazing) and a new jingle, written by Dan (equally as amazing). It was a bit like watching your best friend pull of a really great presentation at school. There’s something so sweet about the home-made authenticity in instagram live posts. (I say we get into it before the influencer destroy it.) Stay tuned for next week’s episode where we’ll head to a new country and breakdown another film! What film will it be? I can’t remember!

Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach had an argument about “popcorn chewing volume” and cabinet doors remaining open for too long, in real time. (It was a very validating and cathartic experience for anyone who was able to catch a glimpse, I’m sure.) Glennon also stepped up as interim kindergarten teacher and read books to my six year old daughter while I lazed nearby. (This was via Instagram live…I don’t usually hang out with Glennon. I’m very busy.) She also prompted kids to ask dinnertime questions like: “How do you get your ickies out?” which is phrased so adorably that I’m maybe crying again. (She is officially raising my child now.)

**We also received our copies of Glennon’s new book Untamed! Who else is reading it?!

Lumineers singer Wesley Shultz performed a collection of original and cover songs from what looked like his kitchen? (But rich people have huge houses with tons of unnecessary rooms so it’s hard to say definitively.) In the performance he pleads with us to all take this virus seriously and do what we can to slow its spread. He also admits that some of his best lyrics were actually taken from things his wife has said to him over the years. So, you know, just typical stuff. #whoRunTheWorld?

BJ Novak read his hilarious children’s book, The Book With No Pictures and it was, again, like, do we even have to do anything? Can the internet just teach our kids?? (I, of course, am only joking. I am a homeschool mom and wrote allllll about our riveting days earlier this week.) If you watched this live reading we hope hearing BJ say “Boo Boo Butt” was the salve you needed to soothe whatever aches and pains this isolation may have conjured.

**And, as a bonus, we just wanted to mention #togetherAtHome, a virtual concert series and campaign of Global Citizen (a movement of engaged citizens who are using their collective voice to end extreme poverty) created in conjunction with the WHO. If you’ve got some time (and lets be real, you’ve got some time) scroll through the hashtag and see what’s coming up. This week, we’re excited to check out Jimmy Eat World and probably other people but we don’t know how to search upcoming events so we are simply welcoming whatever is meant to come to us, which might seem like something a highly enlightened person would say…or at least someone who possesses more crystals than we do…but for our purposes just means spending extra time on the internet, maniacally clicking on everything that pops up. 🤗

We know this time is full of so much uncertainty, but we hope you’re finding creative ways to move through and come together. Even in isolation, connection is possible. We want to hear how you’re connecting, or where you’re struggling. If you feel so inclined, please reach out.

And, if you are struggling, please consider heading to our guide to find more resources. Everyday, we’re adding and editing in the hopes that we’ll all come through this time with our mental well-being intact. To learn more about the mission of If Lost, Start Here and to stay connected, please sign up for our newsletter!