Funny how you really take things for granted until they are gone. (I mean, it is an old cliche; everyone says it, it’s not like it’s unknown) But yet, we still, as humans, do this regularly. When our hierarchy of needs are met, we sort of check that box and look for the next first-world problem or drama to attract and conquer.
While in isolation/quarantine/shelter-in-place one BIG biggie big big bigly thing we have always taken for granted are people (in general). I think we all used to joke from time to time that we don’t want to interact with people because we’ve always known exactly how much we really do interact with people.
Watching movies is a weird thing now, you see people just walking near each other, and in groups, no face masks, and never even thinking twice about it. Not thinking about the germs, about the spoken or unspoken camaraderie before them. (Okay, maybe some of you germaphobes always did). And you all have probably had that feeling at concert where you are thinking, “wow, I can really feel all the energy of all the people here.”
I had always felt in the past so connected to friends, family, etc., even if I hadn’t seen them in awhile. Social media and texting made it seem like they were so close by. But really, wasn’t it just the idea that we could see someone at any time in conjunction with these tools that made them seem closer? Today, we still have the same tools, but the option of seeing someone has now been removed. Texting, Facetime and social media, and feel more distant, even though the tools have not changed.
In an effort to help me reconcile the digital connection with the real, I have taken on a project, whereby I am choosing to focus on thanking one person a day who is special in my life during this corona time. So far, it’s been fun, and others are getting to learn about the people in my life. We all want to thank the doctors, nurses, janitors, grocery store and restaurant workers for helping us in the physical. But what about the emotional, who are are your heroes there too?
Life, Love and Yoga 