Is your daily pandemic walks beginning to feel like a grim march? Any drill-sargeant outings with children where you are aware of yourself resembling Captain Von Trapp with his whistle in the Sound of Music (if only one’s children were so responsive to whistles)? I was heartened to chat with neighbours (socially distanced across a boulevard mounded with snow) and hear that my household isn’t the only one looking for ways to find a spark in the routines that we loved in summer.

Today in The Conversation Canada, two creative arts therapists, Heather McLaughlin and Bonnie Harnden of Concordia University, suggest that considering our own “connection needs” this winter may help us find the energy needed to weather the many emotions and phases of this pandemic, while also thinking about our families and people in our communites. They suggest that shifting our intentions might be the beginning of being more mindful about bringing playfulness, humour and creativity into daily life.

Also today:

And ICYMI:

Regards,

Susannah Schmidt

Education + Arts Editor
Tiny moments of playful connection can invite feelings of gratitude. (Shutterstock)

Try a little playfulness if your family’s pandemic routine needs a reset

Heather McLaughlin, Concordia University; Bonnie Harnden, Concordia University

Do we need to just endure grumpy pandemic walks? Play therapists offer tips about how to light up the important family and community connections and routines in your life.
Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

How the U.S. can move beyond mass protests in the aftermath of Donald Trump

Ron Stagg, Ryerson University

If the new U.S. administration can show that it's taking action to address widespread grievances, it should be able to move forward from this period of sustained mass protest.
While people with certain disabilities are already at higher risk for severe COVID-19, that risk is increased by elements within the health-care system. (Shutterstock)

People with disabilities put at risk by COVID-19 triage and vaccine priorities

Yona Lunsky, University of Toronto

People with disabilities are overlooked for COVID-19 vaccine distribution and triage protocols. We need to make this group a priority and address issues that put them at risk.
A man steps out of the trailer he lives in at a homeless encampment at Strathcona Park in Vancouver in December 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Instead of a universal basic income, governments should enrich existing social programs

Sirvan Karimi, York University, Canada

Adopting a universal basic income requires a fundamental restructuring of the existing social safety net in Canada, and would not necessarily conquer income inequality and poverty.
The beauty of exercise snacks is that they don’t require any equipment, or even a change of clothes. (Shutterstock)

Snack your way to better health with bite-sized exercise breaks

Scott Lear, Simon Fraser University

Short, 20-second bursts of activity — known as exercise 'snacks' — throughout the day have many benefits, from boosting energy and productivity to improving cardiorespiratory fitness.

La Conversation Canada
Kobe Bryant, lors d'un match des Lakers de Los Angeles contre les Orlando Magic, le 7 juin 2009. Il a été un modèle pour toute une génération de jeunes, dont l'auteur de cet article. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Ce que Kobe Bryant m’a appris

Dalla Malé Fofana, Bishop's University

« De Kobe Bryant, j’ai toujours admiré le souci du détail, l’envie du dépassement, le sens de l’observation, la culture de l’excellence, le refus de la tricherie », écrit l’auteur, un fan du sportif.

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