The journey of the jar

This lovely little journey that we're on continues to amaze and surprise me daily with the continued level of support and interest.

One of the things I'm struggling to get my head around is just how far and wide our little jar is travelling. As well as UK national coverage in The Mirror, BBC and The Metro, we've made national news in the US (thank you to Good Morning America, ABC and the Today programme) and South Africa (Sunday Times), which just blows my mind and is a PR first for me (taking me back to my early PR days where every piece of coverage generated such excitement).

The emotion and stories that people have shared in messages with me from all over the world is a privilege. I've heard from families who have recently relocated and are struggling to connect during Lockdown, people who are feeling vulnerable and families struggling to juggle childcare and work simultaneously. 

I've tried really hard to reply to each of the hundreds of messages because if someone has taken the time to message and thank me, I want them to know in return how truly grateful I am and how this funny online community that seems to have developed around me has helped me to adjust to the Lockdown in return.

I wanted to take the time to specifically reference one article that I've just discovered this evening with a New York based online magazine called Redbook. Earlier this week they posted an article about inspiring stories from the pandemic and my post was featured.

It's a great read and I've included a link at the end of this post, but what struck me for the first time is that I've spent a lot of time gawping at the rising number of shares and messages from my post and brushing it off when people tell me I should be proud (and I was a little bit proud but mostly just quite overwhelmed and astonished). 

What I should have been thinking about was the impact. The real things people were telling me about what the jar means to them, why people took it into their hearts and homes the way they did.

That a New York magazine has chosen to include an example from outside of the country, alongside what I can only describe as amazing stories of hope and resilience, is an absolute honour. And reading this I did feel really, truly proud...also like a bit of an impostor because these other stories are so awesome, but very proud and humbled. So thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this little journey of our jar.

Check out Redbook's post here