Indiana mom, Angie Carel, looked for ways to deal with her emotions and feelings in the midst of the pandemic. One day, she decided that drawing was her happy place, so she enlisted everyone in her family to draw a turtle by the end of the day. It worked! The family started sharing their silly drawings on social media, and soon friends and friends of friends joined in on the fun. Each day, Carel invites the drawing group to draw something and reveal their drawing by the end of the day. Her group has grown to more than 8,000 people, but what particularly struck Carel is the reason people have joined in. She assumed it was because they liked art, but she quickly discovered that more than three quarters of her diverse group joined as a way to just escape from the troubles of the world around them. The drawing served as a small mental health break. The same reason she asked her family to draw the turtle in the first place. The story is a good reminder of how important community support can be in the midst of difficulty and struggles.
Stories of Joy 