6 feet.
72 inches.
One shelter-in-place order.
It sounds like a recipe for disaster for my extroverted self.
It kind of has been, to be honest. Thankfully, I have a community of neighbors who don’t mind hollering hello from across the lawn.
Here are three ways to socially interact from 6 feet away:
Number one:
Real Life “Zoom” Meetings:
Get in touch digitally or via hand-delivered paper notes with your neighbors to your left, right, and across the street. Tell them that you want to check in with everyone and get away from your device. Set a date and a time you all want to go outside, and from the safety of your lawns, holler hello! Keep a safe distance away, and a smile on your face. Talk about cool or creative things you’ve been doing with your free time.
I would have loved to give one of my neighbors a hug on her birthday when she turned 8. I couldn’t. It was really sad, but we were both able to yell hi really loudly, and she started laughing. I did too, and while social distancing sucks, no one is alone in this. This is one problem that no one is going through alone. And that helps me stay strong.
Number Two:
Drive-by or Bike- by Birthday Parties:
Many of my friends have had birthday plans put on halt, which has sucked. Absolutely sucked.
However, one creative parent of a friend of mine came up with the idea of a drive-by birthday party for her son.
At 3:00 pm a couple of weeks ago, I piled into the car with my mom, in my famous pink converse, a baggy t-shirt, and my baggy jeans with a homemade happy birthday sign taped to the window.
We parked several houses away from the birthday boy’s house and waited for other friends to show up.
At 3:05, the boy was urged outside by his mom under the lure of outdoor chores. Little did he expect a train of cars filled with his hooting, hollering, and raucous friends wishing him happy birthday.
One friend further down the street even sat on top of his mom’s parked car, and attempted to organize an off-key “Happy Birthday” serenade.
The serenade? Not great. The birthday boy’s face? Shining with happiness.
We all stayed and talked through our car windows for a few minutes, and ended up leaving around 3:30, each one of us happier than before.
Being able to see my friends’ faces, laughing, smiling, and speaking without text abbreviations got my heart pumping in all the right ways.
Number Three:
Virtual Parties:
Shut up inside due to rain? Don’t like your neighbors?
Organize a group call on whichever service you prefer, and talk to people digitally. Tired of talking to the same people? Text a bunch of friends, and ask them to join the call. Tell jokes, play music, or just talk.
These are some of the services I use to do this:
Zoom, Google Meet, and FaceTime.
I know some who use Discord as well.
Your options are endless. Sort of.
A lot of these ideas are very controversial, especially the ones not conducted from a device. Please be safe, considerate, and only do what you and your family feel comfortable with.
Remember to take comfort in the fact that this will eventually end. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel. We can’t forget that.
Stay safe, smile, and I’ll ‘see’ you next time.
Finn out.