Patti Schwartz

Smile A Day Project Patti Schwartz

On March 22, 2020, the State of New York entered what would be known as "New York Pause." We were being overrun by deadly novel coronavirus or COVID-19. New York was not the only state being affected nor was the United States alone in this battle. It had become a global pandemic. A health crisis like we have never experienced. Locally here in Upstate New York, the closing of businesses and the stay at home orders were creating frustration and fear. In the week leading up to New York Pause, I was stricken by what I was hearing from those in my community. Messages of fear and frustration of what was to come. So I decided to begin posting a photo or two a day, calling it the Smile A Day Project, to serve as reminders of memories from the past in the area and, more importantly, as sources of hope of what we have to look forward to when this was all behind us. At first, I was optimistic that this would only last a week; two at the most. I was wrong.