Something quite extraordinary has happened lately… people have started smiling and acknowledging one another’s presence. Of course, there are a lot of extraordinary things happening in this world today, things never seen in modern history. You know all about those, but I’m choosing to focus on the good ones, the good things that hopefully will emerge as a side-effect of this most challenging time.
If you’ve followed along my story, it was only a handful of weeks ago that I wrote about people not saying hello or smiling when crossed on a walking trail. It was very noticeable when I returned to Austin, maybe one in ten returned my wave or smile. It was also a very important part of my comfort when I walked to the park. I waved at everyone, and everyone that waved back, unbeknownst to them, gave me a little jolt. I saw them, they saw me, and a little micro-connection was made, and for the most part, that was it, non-transcendental, but very nice. These days, I’m happy to report, that about nine out of ten people are waving or smiling back, from a safe distance of course. Even nicer, people are smiling at me before I start my smile, trivial perhaps in the greater scheme of things, but oh so important.
I’ve missed writing this little story. There were several reasons I haven’t written, one of the main ones being that I like to write while I’m happy, and I haven’t been altogether happy for a few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine, but not writing-fine. I really can’t understand some of the renaissance authors who were one sip of Absinthe away from slicing their wrists yet managed to produce some of the greatest literature in history. Not me, on either count. Last Fall, it was easy to write, even through the exhaustion, for I had some very cool things to write about.
And I love to write. A couple of days ago I just decided to get back to it and hope to stay on a cadence that will allow me to get this all written. I’ve had a lot of questions about my walk, and I just want to share them, things like the food piece, the fitness part, and the gear, and the mental aspects. Fortunately, they are all very clear and crisp in my mind, and I’m reminded of them daily as I take my long solitary walks. These walks have kept me calm and happy, a chance to get away from the television (which I abhor) and just go back to what matters at the end of the day.
We’ve seen some great acts of kindness in the last few weeks, and it again begs the question “why do we need a big event to change our behavior?” I asked that question on day one of my walk. Why did it take a world-shattering event to make people smile back at their neighbor? I don’t know the answers, but I do hope we don’t fall back into the patterns of a few weeks ago. This is an opportunity to reset, realize what matters and just be nicer and kinder in the months, years and decades to come. I hope the walkers prevail. I hope to still see the kids on their bicycles or laughing in their yards. I never knew so many kids lived in my neighborhood and hope to see them when this is resolved. I also didn’t know my neighbors were as nice as they have been lately.
And at the end of the day, it’s really all about the people. Life is about the people. The big house on the hill means nothing if it isn’t full of friends. The things don’t matter if we can’t share them or give them away. Regardless of how we got here, we all share a fragile little piece of cosmic sand which fortunately is surrounded by a life-sustaining atmosphere, and if we don’t take care of one another, we’re going to ruin it. It’s not yours, it’s not mine, it is ours, and the sooner we can start really talking care of one another, the sooner we can start working on fixing our place. We must take care of each other, we must be nice with each other, otherwise there isn’t much point.
We’re beginning to see the effects of social distancing, now being mandated in many parts of the world. It just further shows how much we need each other, on all different levels. We flock to one another and miss the people we can’t see. I heard a very cool term on the radio a few days ago in reference to social distancing, which in itself could be isolating us even further. The term was distant socializing and I think it is brilliant. This is the time to reach out, make the phone call, do the Facetime or Skype connection, tell your people how you feel, the people who make this little speck of cosmic dust the most incredible place we’ll ever know 😊.
So next time, smile at someone who smiles at you, wave back, realize you’re not the only one that is worried, and make it a habit… it’s a nice one to have.
As seen a few morning ago…
This one is for my friend and fellow writer Tim, who I met last October in Tennessee. He asked me in an email to “never stop writing” to which I say, I’ll do my best. If I can make a handful of people smile, it’s all the incentive I need. Thank you, Tim