Rebecca went back to DC over Labor day to see her family for the first time since March.  Keep in mind she used to travel back there every two weeks so it was surreal that what used to be incidental felt overwhelming.  Would it be safe in the airport? On the plane?  Should she take an Uber? Should she quarantine and if so, how?

One of our favorite resources, Berkeley’s Greater Good, asks whether it is indeed true that politics have the US deeply divided right now.  Many people, and perhaps you dear reader, might emphatically say, “Yes, like never before!”  On the other hand, others of you might say this isn’t the first time politics have been bitter and divisive in this country.  Nevertheless, most of us could safely say politics right now are pretty loaded.

Race is a touchy topic, partly because, as we explored in our last newsletter, it brings up so many taboos.  One of those is the challenging notion that people of other races “all look the same to me”.  Clinically that is known as Own Race Bias (ORB).  Although many of us, whatever our racial identity, might wish that we didn’t have ORB, it appears to be universal.  Simply put, we identify members of our own race more quickly and easily than people of other races.  Interesting to note too that we categorize people by their race more quickly than by their gender or age.

Our friend Ron Jones, an improv comedian, was part of a traveling show called The Black Jew Dialogues with fellow actor, Larry Tish, for many years.  Ron is the “Black” part of the troupe and Larry the “Jew”.  The show is a series of hilariously provocative skits about the dynamics of race and what they call “a comedic romp through 2 cultures” which includes skits such as one in which Ron and Larry comically argue about whose people have been more persecuted.

Rebecca’s cousin Melissa decided to foster the art of letter writing with her kids, Cooper and Samantha, to give them a handcrafted way to connect with friends and family. She is having them choose someone each week that they want to reach out to and Rebecca was lucky to be Samantha’s first recipient, getting not only a letter but a lovely drawing. Samantha also very charmingly requested a response which motivated Rebecca to not only reply to her but to write a few other friends and family as well.

“I think I’m asking too much of COVID 19.” This is what Alta Mauro, a friend and colleague of Rebecca’s, recently said when they were checking in about how they were responding to the last couple of months of lock down.

First, this newsletter is dedicated to the frontline folks–doctors, nurses, EMT’s, police officers, transit workers, grocery store workers, sanitation workers, community leaders–who are out there keeping us safe.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Second, it’s dedicated to you and your wellbeing at this surreal and challenging time.

Rebecca has recently been involved with a focus group that is looking at how the arts and culture can reduce violent extremism, a project which includes collaborating with some pretty “colorful” characters. For example, in the group is Daryl Davis, an African-American blues singer who has conducted multiple interviews with members of the KKK. Also involved is Arno Michaelis, a former white nationalist skinhead who now travels the world preaching forgiveness.

Gioia here. Some of you might remember that I’m a big fan of creative journaling. So this month I’ve really enjoyed being a part of our New Zealand colleague Janet McLeod’s Create Wellbeing 30 Day Challenge, and have been trying to journal every day in October. I definitely did not make it all 30 days, but I did have some fun!

Recently, Rebecca was running an Art for Relaxation workshop in which, among many art options (masks, canvas boards, blank cards) she’d laid out some coloring images.  Jane, one of the attendees, commented that she thought coloring was a waste of time.  She’d recently gone to a weekend retreat and complained that during the lectures many of the attendees were coloring.  She likened this to texting while someone was speaking and wondered how they could be so disrespectful.

Actor and comedian Seth Rogen, the voice of Pumbaa the silly warthog in the latest version of the Lion King, has just taken up ceramics. After enthusiastically posting on Twitter pictures of his charming vases and ashtrays, Rogen was criticized, sometimes rather cruelly, for his lack of talent. For example, one critic said that beyond being barely “adequate”, they were outright “tasteless”. Thankfully, Rogen has not been dissuaded, charmingly responding that “I’m doing my best.”

Over the last couple of months, we have been exploring how to boost our positivity by introducing “micro-moments” of positive emotions and experiences, especially important when we are going through difficult times. This helps us not only manage the stress, but as Barbara Fredrickson, founder of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology (PEP) Lab at UNC tells us, we are better able to cope with and bounce back quicker from difficulties.  It also broadens our perceptions so that we are able to come up with more solutions to challenges we are facing.

Last month, we talked about the negativity bias and the “Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions.”  The Broaden and Build Theory refers to the broadening effect that positive emotions and experiences have on what we perceive about ourselves and our lives.  When we are feeling better we not only notice more of what is happening in and around us but we tend to interpret that input more positively. However, because of the negativity bias–the baseline tendency to notice and give more weight to negative cues in our environment–we have to consciously induce positivity.