Hello. Hola. Bonjour. Privet. A greeting that is universal and one that we need to be conveying to every person we pass on the street, in the grocery store and in our neighborhoods. In the midst of the Corona Virus where social distancing is the norm and doing everything in our power to keep our health on the forefront can leave many of us feeling lonely and desperately missing personal connections. This is where the power of hello during the Corona Virus is more important than ever.
Three weeks ago the world may have felt normal. Now, it’s like someone did a full on flip, shake and stir. Which was is up and what is down? Normal does not exist and nor can it. This isn’t merely a reach across one nation, its fingers graze every part of the globe.
The Power of Hello during the Corona Virus
Like a flip of a switch we are now waving to our neighbors from our front porch, separated by six feet from our parents, siblings and closest friends. We are in a socially abnormal state and its emotional impact won’t be fully known for some time. Are you nervous? Are you overwhelmed? Guess what? That’s ok. What’s also ok is reminding ourselves that we are all in this together. Eye contact, a quick wave and a hello hold so much meaning right now. We have so many feeling sorely lonely, isolated and disconnected. There is power in our hello.
What we look like
Whether you’re working the front lines stocking shelves, delivering goods to homes, tending to those who are ill in our hospitals – you are our super heroes. You are also being asked to provide services and face adversity during a pandemic. Thank you. You are overstretched, tired and longing for this madness to go the way side.
Others, strive to find a balance now doing work from home while kids tug at their shirt or ask for insight as they’re now being instructed online. Or the elderly couple in fear of leaving their home, but venture out only for groceries, and are uncertain of what tomorrow will bring. Whether you reside in New York City, San Diego, that super small town that doesn’t make it on the map; we all have one thing in common: we’ve never been where we’re at before.
Where do we go from here?
Social distancing. Fiercely washing our hands. Sanitizing our homes. Words that can evoke angst. Combine that from walking around with an imaginary six foot bubble around you and it can throw you for a loop that keeps looping. We do not know what tomorrow holds. We owe it to ourselves, our loved ones and every single person on the planet to do our part in this.
A smile can still be exchanged from six feet away. We can make eye contact. And there’s the power of “hello.” Hi. Hey. Hello. Whatever the heck it is, if you see another human in your work place, outside of your home while you’re social distancing; make a vigilant effort to greet another human being. Being mentally well throughout our journey through the Corona Virus is tough when human contact has been swiftly taken out from underneath us.
Social distancing
I stand in my yard and someone walks by walking their dog. I say hello. The few times I’ve had to venture out to grab a few needed items as I see someone distancing from me in the same aisle: I say hello. We are in a weird place, but what we all need is the sense of feeling a connection. Feeling that we exist and that we hold value.
There will be someone I make eye contact with that may not see another human being that day, or at least one that will acknowledge them. Others may be overwhelmed with the loss of a job, the heightened struggle with their recovery or mental illness. We are all in this together. Every single one of us has a story. We have hearts, spirits and a desire to be connected.
The Power of Hello during the Corona Virus
Write it on a post it note. Set a notification on your phone. Put neon green puffy paint on your hand. Just say hello. Make it one of your personal growth setting list and pursue it. Wave like heck at that neighbor. Give a wave to the stranger going to their car as you run through town. Implement it. Make it a daily pursuit of goodness.
Will a hello cure the Corona Virus? Nope. But it will remind us that we’re all in this together and that our words and actions towards others can make someone’s hour, day or year a little bit better. Right now, kernels of kindness and goodness are needed more than ever.
Wishing you a plethora of peace, love and goodness.
