During these times when Covid, restrictions, masks, negativity and new rules are dominating all forms of media, I wanted to encourage you to keep working to find ways to connect with people.
Yes, it's harder than usual to reach out to people with masks or with events cancelled or when people are distancing and staying home more, but it is possible. We are having to get creative with school reopenings in question, churches being slow to reopen at full strength with childcare and any indoor activity being put on hold.
Spoiler alert: None of my suggestions include FaceTime or Zoom Meetings or social media. Of course, they each have their place right now, but I've found that none of them really bring me joy. I don't mind FaceTiming. My kids have a short attention span when we are all chatting with family. Zoom Meetings are not my favorite. They get the job done in a pinch, but it's hard for everyone to talk and feel heard. And my social media feeds have been very negative, combative, political, worry/fear inducing and not all that fun lately.
These are a few ways that I've been able to connect with friends and family during this time.
Ready... Set... Let's Connect!!
1. Deliver food.
I bake bread almost every Monday. I usually bake two loaves. One to keep and one to share. Lately, I've been hesitant to share because I didn't want people to be worried about us spreading germs. I was extra careful and decided the past couple of weeks I was ready to resume baking and sharing. I passed one loaf over our back fence to share with neighbors and we delivered another loaf this week (while distancing). The neighbors were thrilled and both texted me to thank me after the fact. The neighbors were thrilled to have a visitor. We stayed outside, kept our distance and did a quick catch up on our lives. I learned some new things about them and it was good for all of us.
If you're not comfortable delivering homemade food right now, consider dropping off a gift card to a local spot instead or picking up some store bought food to share.
2. Text or Call
I'd encourage you to text or call the people that pop into your mind during the day. Just say hello. Check on them and chances are that you'll both end up smiling after you make that connection. We're all in the same boat of feeling lonely, isolated and needing people.
3. Snail Mail
I don't make many phone calls these days because life is rarely quiet with three kids at home 24/7. But I am perfectly capable of sending cards to say hello. I get far more spam mail in my mailbox than handwritten notes. I assume that's the case with most of us. It just makes my day to receive a card or letter from someone I care about. If snail mail isn't your thing, take the time to email the people you care about to check in.
4. Reinvent Your Plans
If your indoor plans are cancelled right now, get creative and see if there's some way to reinvent your plans. All of my indoor meetings have been cancelled. Next week I'm meeting with some hard working moms outdoors, at a park, where we can all spread out and see each other in person. I think it's going to be great!
And you know how I feel about editing your Summer plans to still make memories together.
5. Pair Up with Friends/Family/Neighbors
Find people who you're comfortable spending time with and make plans with them. I'd encourage you to be open about your level of comfort and exposure to people and then settle on plans you all are comfortable with. We've been meeting friends at the pool, letting the kids play with one of our neighbors and seeing our immediate families. The key to making plans with a circle of people is good communication to ensure that everyone feels at ease.
How are you finding ways to connect with your favorite people in 2020?
