Hannah Crow | 5.7.2020
It’s safe to say that a majority of our free time has included Netflix binging, scrolling, ordering takeout, and hashtagging support local. For that, our sweet Tallahassee is thankful! The internet is a wonderful place that is keeping us virtually connected. Zoom calls, educational webinars, and FaceTime happy hours with friends and family are the norm.
There is no rhyme, reason or one-size-fits-all solution for how to be our best self during COVID-19. Initially, there was a peace, a calm in the storm, when the world was shut down. A moment to breathe and enjoy a lack of social responsibilities looming over our schedules. Suddenly, there is a moment of panic. A moment of uncertainty and wondering if you are doing enough. Am I hitting my goals? Am I being successful? Am I still connected? You finally realize the non-stop scrolling through social media, watching everyone else’s “fun” or “achievements” has you feeling inadequate. Stop right there!
This is the moment you decide to pick up a book or take a long walk and press play on one of these podcasts. Now is the time for us to refuel, motivate ourselves and discover that the process of personal and professional development is just that – a process. This list of reads and listens will surely help do the trick.
My hope is that this book and podcast list inspires you and makes you feel a sense of normalcy and inspiration again. Prayers up this whole reading thing sticks for me.
Cheers!
for THE LOVE of CITIES | This book is about a love affair between people and the places they live. I started this book a few weeks before the Stay-At-Home order was placed, and finished it by the end of the month. Let’s be real – that NEVER happens! This book has me fired up about how I can and have made a difference in my city, my community, and my neighborhood right now – even amidst the coronavirus. It has nothing to do with your social status, your title at work, or past accomplishments. It has everything to do with how well you choose to love your place.
cold tangerines | “Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life.” This book is a reminder that life didn’t stop when COVID-19 came on the scene, and life isn’t restarting after the pandemic. Life is happening RIGHT NOW. Many of us, myself included, are missing it. As a young professional, we are constantly working and waiting. Shauna Niequist says it best – we need to give ourselves “room to breathe, to rest, to break down, and break through.” I hope I am not the only one resonating with this message. I hope you know that it’s okay – it’s okay if you didn’t put on ‘real’ clothes today, if you didn’t work out, and if your kids watched too much television. Let’s hang onto the moments that DID happen, and be thankful for memories made and lessons learned.
Small Town Podcast | Mayor Matt Seale of Ocilla, GA is the host of the podcast. Matt travels to small towns around the country to interview their elected officials and members of the community. When we encounter difficult times, it is easy to lose perspective and begin to feel sorry for ourselves, our community, or our situation. But after a number of long and therapeutic walks listening to this podcast and hearing the candid conversations about the joys and struggles of small town living around the country, I began to feel encouraged. It was a reminder that we are not alone in adversity. Everyone and everything encounters adversity – and we change and adapt for the better.
THE BITTER SOUTHERNER PODCAST | All the southern sass in this podcast! This will make you proud to be a Southerner (or a converted Southerner like myself). The Bitter Southerner gives the South a voice to explain ourselves, the good and the bad, and is the inspiration behind my recent community project “Life Under Lockdown: Families of Fort Braden” front porch photos.
When asked why the Bitter Southerner was created, their team responded: “because the South is full of people who face our region’s contradictions and are determined to throw our dishonorable traditions out the window. The Bitter Southerner is here for Southern people who do cool things, smart things, things that change the whole world, or just a few minds at a time.” Do yourself a favor and jump on this bandwagon!
LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE | This book is up next! It was also written by Peter Kageyama and builds on the central premise of ‘For the Love of Cities.’ I recently purchased on Amazon and am anxious to jump in.
