As someone who tries to see the positive side of every situation no matter how dire I have to admit that COVID-19 has tested my joyful abilities on some days. I am happy to report that those times pass though and when I am striving for connection that the innovation that has sprung forth from the challenges and limitations we seniors face that I have found some wonderful discoveries. I welcome sharing these with our beloved POP community and hope if you have other favorites to add that you will share them with me.

Music has always brought me great solace and I’ve been soothed by this new online radio station called Radio Recliner that is run by DJs from senior living communities across the country. They feature everything from ABBA to Bill Withers to Elvis. You can also call to dedicate a song to someone you are missing or sign up to be a Resident DJ yourself.

If Opera is more your speed, the Metropolitan Opera continues to stream encore performances of some of its most famed shows nightly for free.

Museums, zoos and aquariums may still be closed in your community, but some are still open online. For live cam footage of your favorite sea creatures we enjoy Monterey Bay Aquarium’s live feeds. Is there anything cuter than a sea otter?

If four legged creatures are what you are looking for the Smithsonian’s National Zoo can provide you a view of their elephant, lion, cheetah and panda habitats. They even have a naked mole-rat cam! The San Diego Zoo and Houston Zoo also have koala and gorilla live feeds.

If you have been craving some culture or outdoor time Google Art & Culture has teamed up with over 2500 museums and galleries around the globe to share online exhibits and virtual tours, along with 5 National Parks  from Hawaii to Alaska.

If you would like to spend your social distancing time learning a new skill Open Culture shares 1,500 free online courses from top universities. You can even audit for free the most popular class at Yale University, The Science of Well-Being, which teaches you how to be happier. Sign me up!

If you prefer your social distancing to involve catching up on any movie or TV show that you have missed over the last decade, most streaming services are extending their free 7 day trials to 30 days. And don’t forget that sometimes the best and cheapest form of entertainment is through your local library, from streaming documentary films and movies to borrowing and downloading e-books and audiobooks for free!

As for what we are doing here at POP, since most intergenerational families are widely spread apart at this time and the Coronavirus isn’t leaving us anytime soon, POP Family Coaching and POPlanning – at a distance – are in demand now more than ever. I currently have a few spots available for families to work directly with me over the phone, FaceTime, Skype or Zoom. Please click here if you would like more information.

Do you have any other suggestions? Please share with our community your peaceful pandemic favorites that are giving you glimmers of relief.