Longing for Your Pre-Pandemic Life?
The world changed overnight and many of us weren’t ready for it. The friends, family and business connections we took for granted suddenly were all just faces on a digital screen. Even if we managed to carve out our own way of connecting, in the lead up to this pivotal election, we are all finding it harder than ever to have conversations that involve meaningful engagement, what I’ll call “election talk.”
Are you missing the everyday world?
There were people once in our everyday world, like the coffee barista, that some of us still aren’t seeing, so we are missing these friendly exchanges, beyond the deep ties that we have with loved ones. It is incredible how much you miss those exchanges that you took for granted. How the smile from a crossing guard could really put a positive spin on your day!
Can you find creative ways to connect?
What we continue to see is the innovative way that people are connecting. Like the online Science Mom, Jenny Baliff, mom turned youtuber after cuts were made to her kid’s science program at school and this year turned teacher to thousands of students overnight or the UK DJ, Dale Castell who continues to hold online raves to keep people dancing. The world needs more of these people now. They aren’t pushing political agendas, but they are pushing people to engage more and put connection front and center.
What we do know is we need human connection and interaction in our lives. It is such a central theme in how we communicate and why we communicate. While these folks may not really seem like heroes on the surface, I do think they are. They have chosen connection and innovation over fear and isolation.
Do you have a small-town hero?
I’m reminded of the candy lady from my childhood. Visiting my best friend’s neighborhood became an exciting event. I always jumped at the chance to see her because it meant we could visit the candy lady in her neighborhood.
Local kids knew this woman well. She was a widow living on her own, who one day decided she wanted for nothing more than connection. So, she started handing out candy to kids – year-round. The only rules were that you had to use your manners and only visit once per day (she’d remember!). We’d use our two palms as a candy bowl and she would offer up a handful of delicious treats, usually butter mints. Still to this day, every time I see a butter mint, I think of her.
As a kid, I thought it was all about the candy. However, as an adult I realize that she did so much more than that. She gave us a great example of someone being generous with her time and made a small gift of connection. While I never asked her, I’d imagine that it probably meant a lot to her to have 10 or so kids a day knocking on her door and saying hello.
I’ll admit it, in the time of COVID-19, communication has become different. We have to find ways to make our connection with the world. Even as someone who has spent an entire career cultivating and learning about communication, I still struggle in this new reality. As Zig Ziglar once said, “you never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.”
Photo credit - Sharon McCutcheon – Unsplash