Find Out What Day of the Week It Is, During The Pandemic

Janet Scagnelli of Richmond, VA is sending out daily texts to subscribers, an activity she calls VeriDay.

Why did you decide to do this project? Back in April I was having trouble remembering what day of the week it was, and even if I figured it out, I’d forget a few hours later. So I wrote the day on a business card and left it on my counter all day. It worked, so I made a week’s worth. I texted a photo to a friend, who laughed and said I needed to send this to her every day. 

Of course, I couldn’t just shoot the card, I had to add a tomato or a leaf to the photo. Fast forward, 7 months later—I have over 20 subscribers (through texting). I call my service VeriDay. Sometimes I make videos, I use 5 languages some days, and I haven’t missed a day. I called upon guest hosts for the week I was away. 

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I think it has created a (daily 6am-7am) meaningful connection among us. Some of the smaller subscriber groups react to the prompts with deep conversations (The rise of the Nazi movement in NYC in the 1930’s, Baptist hymns, Russian children’s book illustrations from the 1950’s, crop circles).

It seems to make people smile. I’ve gotten to know some subscribers so much more intimately, even though I’ve known them for decades. And it keeps me making art daily.

I recently read this article from the NYTimes and it dawned on me—this is VeriDay’s mission! (The entire article is worth reading.)

Excerpted from the NYTimes article:

"The key to coping during this, or any, time of upheaval is to quickly establish new routines so that, even if the world is uncertain, there are still things you can count on...

Luckily, there is a vast repertoire of habits you can adopt and routines you can establish to structure your days no matter what crises are unfolding around you. [VeriDay!]

The truth is that you cannot control what happens in life. But you can create a routine that gives your life a predictable rhythm and secure mooring. This frees your brain to develop perspective so you’re better able to take life’s surprises in stride."