Rebirth During a Time of Crisis
The power of social media and storytelling is crucial during a time where over 90,000 Americans (328K worldwide) have lost their lives to COVID-19 and every event you can think of has been cancelled. This has been a time where social media stories and posts have mostly been about the number of deaths and people fighting for their lives. But it’s the small stories that can truly make a difference. Any positive story shared right now can unite everyone and give them something to cheer about, especially when everyone is anxious and uncertain about the future.
Many people have tragically lost loved ones during this pandemic, but my family has been fortunate to welcome new life into the world. Over the last few weeks and days, we have witnessed the birth of a new family member and a new species right next to my front door.
On April 29, one day after my dad’s birthday, my half-sister Rebecca gave birth to my first nephew Aaron David. It was an extremely humbling moment for me and felt surreal that I was welcoming a toddler into the Isaacson family. Even though no one in my family was able to be present for his birth, it was rewarding knowing that someone in my family made a visit to the hospital for a joyous occasion, and a lot of people haven’t been that lucky during this time. We’re even luckier that the baby and the parents came out of the hospital healthy and happy.
While my birthday on May 9 was filled with many wishes and felt different due to being quarantined, the best present I got was the birth of Aaron and a picture with a sign that read, “Happy birthday uncle Andrew!” It’s a story that I can share with Aaron years down the road and can tell him that he was the best present I got for my 20th birthday. The following weekend, Aaron’s parents did a drive-by greeting, and I was able to see him for the first time in person. I wasn’t able to hold him, but seeing the smile on his face was a rejoicing moment for my parents and I. This moment has showed me that babies are the key to bringing a family closer together and can be the shinning light when everything seems to be falling apart.
This is the first week where I’ve used Twitter as a valuable asset to share meaningful stories, especially when we’ve all needed it most and are socially distant from each other. Prior to the first day of my Mobile Storytelling class, my family and I found a birds nest above the porch light, right next to our front door. Inside the nest were three blue eggs that were identified as blue robins eggs. I have always noticed the wildlife that is around me in New Jersey but have never shared and told a story quite like this on social media. Each day this week, I have been tracking and updating everyone about the birth of the three baby birds. It’s quite remarkable how quickly these birds went from being in the egg to taking their first breaths.
Just like my first nephew, witnessing the birth of the three robins has given me something to be optimistic about during this crazy time. Capturing the moments during this hectic time has showed me that there is always an exciting story to tell, even when there is a lot of anxiety and unanswered questions. Even when a global pandemic isn’t going on, these types of stories are ones that everyone should be sharing. You never know what kind of story you can share with people from your backyard. I’m looking forward to continue watching these babies grow day-by-day and learn more about these species.
These are the kinds of stories that I will remember most during this pandemic and we all need to cherish when we are unsure about the upcoming days and months.
