As restrictions become stricter and stricter on American life during the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, the smaller joys in life have become scarcer and scarcer. For instance, New York has banned all gatherings of more than 50 people; all small theaters and concert halls have been closed.
Humans are coming together in unexpected ways to create beauty and art for those whose lives are most affected by the pandemic.
Jackie Borchardt, the bureau chief of Enquirer and USA Today, shared a touching story on Twitter of her elderly neighbor in Clintonville, OH, being played a cello concert by her two neighbor kids.
"That was lovely!" the woman can be heard saying at the end of the video.
The kids – Taran, 9, and Calliope, 6 – got all dressed up for neighbor Helena Schlam, 78, and for more than thirty minutes serenaded her with tunes from Suzuki Book 1 and Suzuki Book 2, including a Bach minuet and "Go Tell Aunt Rhody."
"It was so delightful. It was a little cold but I just put on an extra coat," Schlam told The Columbus Dispatch. "The kids are really quite talented and it was so much fun."
This comes on the heels of a video showing quarantined Italians singing to each other across the empty streets as they weather the worsening crisis in Italy.
The little joys that people have in this time of crisis are becoming increasingly important, as restrictions continue to pile up.
If you can spare a moment to play some music for a neighbor, they may need it more than you think.