During a storm, we tend to focus only on the heavy, dark grey overbearing clouds, but whenever a rainbow appears, our spirits are lifted. Rainbows are like a beacon of hope. We need those beacons on hope throughout life. When we go through a worrying or stressful time, it can help to focus on positive things to lift our spirits. We need to try to focus less on the clouds and search for rainbows instead.
Right now, in the midst of this pandemic, we really need to search for rainbows.
It’s Easy to Search for Rainbows in the UK
We don’t actually need to go far just now to find rainbows. Pictures of rainbows have been stuck on windows of houses, shops and schools. People have been chalking rainbows on their paths. There are even rainbows appearing in gardens. Rainbows have become the symbol of hope during this pandemic.
Search for Rainbows in the Community – You’ll Find Many
Rainbows come in many forms and despite what’s going on in the world just now, there are plenty of them to be found.
Families are helping each other. Neighbours are helping neighbours. Friends are being ‘there’, even if that just means being a listening ear on the phone or having fun on a video link.
Community spirit is alive and well. Groups have been set up in most areas so that people can volunteer to help those in isolation. Some staff in care homes have moved out of their own homes, away from their families, so that they could look after and isolate with the residents. Restaurants, cafes and shops have been delivering free meals to hospital staff who are working long difficult hours as a way of saying ‘Thank you.’
People are trying to do whatever they can to help each other through this storm.
People Want to Help
I’ve had prescriptions delivered to me by a local policewoman who is volunteering to help in the community. The local pharmacies will only allow two people in the shop at a time so that social distancing can be carried out correctly. This means that there are often long queues outside. Because of my pain, I can’t stand in a queue like that. I feel so thankful that this policewoman has been able to deliver my medication to me.
My Dad gets kidney dialysis three times a week and one of the nurses offered to collect shopping for him. It was such a kind offer because those nurses are all working so hard and are often struggling to get their own shopping. Thankfully, one of my sisters lives close to my Dad, so she is able to get his shopping and help him. However, we are extremely grateful to that nurse for offering to help.
My elderly Uncle opened his door one morning to find a bag of groceries on his doorstep. There was no card to say who’d left them. Whoever left it wasn’t looking for a ‘thank you’. They were simply being kind.
Kindness is Like Finding a Rainbow in the Storm
I have read countless examples of kindness recently.
A friend who has a chronic illness blog, The Zebra Pit, had COVID-19. She said, “My husband and I both contracted the virus. For the first time in over 10 years of being housebound, we were offered help for supplies. We accepted and they picked up meds and some other stuff from our pharmacy over in the next county! I would have ended up in hospital without them.”
Another blogger, Chronic Wholeness told me, “I work in a hospital and it is amazing to see how well people are stepping up and working together.”
This is a terrible crisis, but it has brought a new sense of togetherness and many feel-good stories. Some hit the headlines but so many acts of kindness go unnoticed. But they are happening. There are rainbows during this storm.
Fundraising
Many people have been fundraising throughout the world to try to help in the fight against COVID-19. Every penny matters. If a youngster donates their pocket money, that is just as important as a celebrity donating a few thousand pounds. However, one story has stood out here in the UK.
Captain Tom Moore’s 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS
Captain Tom Moore, who served in World War 2, has become a household name in the UK recently. He wanted to fundraise for the NHS by walking 100 lengths of his garden before his 100th birthday on the 30th of April.
His goal was to raise £1000. He achieved that in under 24 hours. But the money kept pouring in. He has now raised an astonishing amount of money for NHS Charities Together.
I checked just before publishing this post and he has now raised over £28 million. Captain Tom has become the UK’s official rainbow in the storm.
You can find out more about this lovely gentleman on his Just Giving page.
Sharing Enjoyment
On Youtube I’ve seen nurses and doctors singing in hospitals, Russian ballet dancers performing in their kitchens and actors reading poems. Famous singers, small choirs and large orchestras are joining together virtually to perform because they want to share something to make people smile during this crisis. And it works.
I love this Youtube clip of ‘Unlonely’ by Forte. When I watched it, I felt as though a ray of hope had walked into my living room.
Imagine Lockdown Without Social Media
That’s a scary thought for me but not just during this crisis! Disabled and chronically ill people often rely on social media. People who are alone, feel less alone when they’re able to chat with their family and friends. Chatting on the phone is great, but being able to do online video links make such a difference, as do online support groups.
Those internet services are projecting huge rainbows into people’s living rooms right now.
Zoom in on Celebrations
Birthdays are being celebrated via video links. People are able to stay at home and stay safe while joining in with celebrations. People are having karaoke parties, singalongs, quizzes and dancing. They’re getting together with their friends and family to have fun.
Students who are missing out on their graduation ceremonies are hosting them virtually using Zoom. With wedding ceremonies cancelled, some couples have decided to continue with their plans and share their wedding day on Zoom so that their friends and family can still ‘attend’.
It maybe doesn’t feel quite the same, but at a time like this, everyone has to do what they can to be happy while staying safe.
Search for Rainbows and Smile
Sometimes we don’t notice things around us. Things which can make us smile. Simple things like hearing songbirds, seeing new growth on trees, smelling coffee. Just now, more than ever, we need to look around and search for rainbows. If you can’t find one, draw one. If you can’t draw one, sing one. And if you can’t sing one, listen to one. This is my favourite rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow by the late Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole.
Take care, stay safe and I hope you can find some rainbows in the storm.
At times like these, the positives can seem hard to find and yet that’s probably when it’s even more important to look for them and appreciate them. Those rainbows in windows and on pavements etc have gone beyond being just an NHS thing to being a sign of hope, I agree. We need more of that.
It’s amazing you’ve got people in your area that are helping out and going above and beyond to make sure residents can stay as safe as possible. That policewoman delivering your prescriptions is amazing! And bravo to the nurse offering to deliver your dad’s shopping, just the thought counts in that instance though I’m glad one of your sisters is close by to help him out. As for the randomer leaving shopping on your uncle’s doorstep, wow. Just wow. That’s so kind. I’m sadly feeling there’s a distinct lack of this in my area. The situation can bring out the best and worst in people, and I’m so, so glad when I read positive stories like this because I’ve seen far too much of the ‘worst in people’ lately and a lack of support services, too.
As for Captain Tom, I bet he never would have dreamed how far his fundraising would go. He would probably have been over the moon to reach the 1K goal, let alone surpassing £28 million. He should be immensely proud, as should all those that have donated or shared the campaign (like you!)
Beautiful post, Liz. So uplifting and a great reminder to hold on to hope and look out for those rainbows.
Sending love, stay safe ♥
Caz xx
I love this so much Liz, I went out yesterday to take photos of the beautiful daises and dandelions outside and hit video by mistake, as I was playing it back about to delete it I heard birdsong in the background so posted it anyway…..
I love seeing all the rainbows when I watch the clap for carers and see what my friends children and my nieces and nephews have made. It’s wonderful that I can see them on Facebook as I can’t go out. The kindness that been offered to us is amazing and my husband has only had to risk going out a few times for supplies. I love seeing and hearing about the acts of kindness as this is what gets me through. I can only watch news on breakfast programmes because they share these, otherwise it’s all too overwhelming. A lovely post with great reminders to look for the rainbows,
As terrible as this pandemic has been on the loss of life and being stuck at home for so long, we have seen so many rainbows from regular people. In NY at 7:00 every night, people stand on their balconies and open their windows and clap for essential workers like nurses and doctors. Often times at the local hospitals where I live fireman and regular folks line the walks into the hospital and cheer workers as they come and leave work. Birthday parades, chalk drawings on the driveways and more. The local high schools in the area lit the football fields up Friday night and had 2020 written on all the scorecards while the fire department rang the sirens all in sync at 7:00 for 20 minutes. Regular people doing extraordinary things.
What wonderful displays of kindness and solidarity in your community. It’s the same here. Our local voluntary organization delivers hundreds of food boxes to shielding and vulnerable adults every week and they just sent out an e-mail to say that 600 new telephone befriending matches had been made in our borough in the last weeks. I’m so glad to be part of this effort to help out and support the community throughout the crisis.
Captain Tom’s story was amazing. I loved that he inspired the little boy to walk too. There have been so many amazing stories covered by the media which just a tiny portion of how many kind acts have been happening around the globe. It’s so great to focus on those “rainbows” of positivity instead of being scared and worried all the time.
I love this! We live in a small town and our town has created a FB group to allow people to stay in touch with one another. I’ve noticed a HUGE jump in activity there since this whole situation started. Some of it isn’t the most positive (complaining about different local businesses or neighbours in light of everything happening), however, most of it has been really encouraging. Neighbours offering to do grocery runs for one another, sharing where they find ‘in need’ items, discussing ways to support local businesses and more.
While there is no denying the fact that this whole situation royally sucks, I think there are some benefits… It has forced all of us to step back and reassess what really matters. What is important in our lives? How can we prioritize that? What can we do to help keep our loved ones happy and safe? I hope that we hold onto this new perspective when life starts to return to ‘normal’ again.
This is such a good reminder! I love that so many people in NYC are putting rainbows in their windows during this time!
I love this post so much positivity and motivation for sure. this really in truly inspiring at times like this x
Nathan was at work shortly after the pandemic started and he came back from a delivery to find a firetruck parked in front of the restaurant. They were there to eat, and support local restaurants that were staying open. Instead of cooking meals for themselves at the fire station, they picked a different restaurant each night to eat at. I love seeing the people we should be supporting out supporting others in the community. It is easy to see all of this dividing people, especially on social media. But when I step away from that and look at my community, I see so much better and I love that.