Music is always good news.

Everywhere you turn there is ongoing news about COVID-19. Most of it has been number-related and bad news stories. For many, including me, these are anxiety-provoking, making me just want to turn off the radio.

There has also though, been a lot of good news!! Which, for the most part, is about people reaching out to help others. This reaching out has manifested itself in many ways.

A few examples include:

Governments have come forward with stimulus packages and suggestions/directions on what each of us needs to do to protect ourselves and others, so we can eventually get rid of the virus.

Health care workers have been operating well above the normal call of duty. The people we say thank you to though needs to be expanded to people who provide the essential services we need e.g. food workers, delivery people, government workers, transportation operators and other essential service workers, to name a few.

Volunteers are coming out of the woodwork all over the world.

In the U.K., it is estimated there are over 2.5 million people who are volunteering in some capacity. In Canada, people are picking up groceries for their neighbours, looking after children, or calling someone to see how they are doing.

One small alcohol producer I know of has turned their facility into making hand sanitizers. Some of its sanitizers have been given to an NGO who works with indigenous peoples, many of whom are on the streets and would otherwise have none.

Just by staying home, we are all minimizing the spread of the virus. That too is a way of helping, preventing the virus from spreading to others.

Video conferencing has increased many-fold and people have been getting together with their grandchildren and reading to them. One person we know in Canada painted with her granddaughter in Ireland via video conferencing! Some adults are having a pre-dinner drink with friends using video conferencing.

I am sure you can come up with many more examples.

This brings me to MUSIC, which is also playing a role in the drama that is presently playing out as witnessed by:

The many new songs being written about what is going on, some of them humorous. Or how about the balcony singing from apartments in Italy,  Spain and elsewhere, the operas now available to watch online.

I received an email from Jordan, describing what people there are doing. Attached to it was a link to some Jordanian music, to give viewers a lift. Whatever your taste, try it. It could make you feel better. The always good news about music is it is one of humankind’s greatest creations, it is ongoing and has and will be forever. Music has inspired, lifted and motivated people forever, providing a way to tell stories, and express views and feelings. In fact, Bob Dylan even won a Nobel Prize for Literature because of his songs. I have only touched on a few of the many positive things about music. I will finish with: It is one good news story you can make happen whenever you want.

Chris Snyder is the author of the book "Creating Opportunities - A Volunteer's Memoir," published by Hilborn's Civil Sector Press. Chris is one of the early pioneers in the Canadian financial planning world. Chris understands that while much of life revolves around money; life is about much more than that. He has been a founder and/or board member of many charitable organizations including Project Mainstream in India, Street Kids International and Bakong Technical College in Cambodia, the Canadian Landmine Foundation, Toronto's Youth Employment Services, the Nature Conservancy of Canada(Ont) and Alpine Ontario. A long-time member of the Rotary Club of Toronto, he leads groups of Rotarians to the developing world to build schools and lead other valuable community projects. Most recently he has been working on First Nations initiatives and is the founding chair of HIP (Honouring Indigenous Peoples). In 2018, Chris was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in recognition of his many contributions to volunteering in various communities. He can be reached at snyder@eccgroup.ca

Photo of woman by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels