I know its been a really long since my last blog post but…… life happens!
So, I go out running this morning, as I do every Thursday morning, and it just feels really wrong. And no, I don’t mean my aches and pains that randomly move about my body during the run or the fact that I’m getting slower and slower as I get older.
Running for me is something I started doing in elementary school as part of a “kilometre club”. It was a way for us kids to get out our emotions, frustrations, and excess energy to help us not be disruptive during class. We got to run down to a part of the sea wall and connect with the ocean daily (which is something I still NEED to do daily). Running is where I let my mind wonder, both inwardly and externally. I’m one of the few out there who is not plugged in while I run, rather I like to hear the birds, the ocean, and anyone around me who cares to talk. Running is my moving meditation and my time to solve many of my problems or figure out a complex case for one of my patients. Running is something I mostly do alone and like it that way.
Back to today…… so yes it is a crazy time with the COVID 19 and there are too many unknowns for any of us to feel settled or to feel confident that we know what our immediate future might hold. There are now signs everywhere about keeping apart 2 metres (or ”almost 6 feet” as it says on the sign. How long has Canada been metric, now? At least since I was in grade 2 and now I’m in grade 46. Let’s keep it consistent.)
I keep running off on '“red herrings'“… yes it has been too long since I blogged…
What I noticed TODAY was how people are misinterpreting this physical distancing. What it means is: PHYSICALLY STAY 2 METRES APART. NOT stop being friendly. I’m running by people, keeping my “almost 6 feet” and people are looking away, turning their heads, avoiding eye contact. At first I thought maybe I had a booger hanging out of my nose or my hair was doing a “medusa”. But I checked: the nose was clear and I was wearing a toque so my morning hair could not frighten anyone.
Come on people; we don’t need to be scared of any social contact with each other. We need to communicate, now more than ever. This is a stressful time and we need to encourage each other that we will get through this together (however, still remaining 2 meters apart.)
The world is a better place when we smile at each other, whether we know each other or not.
I will keep smiling and saying hello to everyone I pass (a little more loudly to overcome the 2 metres) and I hope now you will too.
Side note: We may be physically distancing from each other, but that does not mean we are needing to physically distance from the garbage bins. Please know and remind others that you can still throw your garbage in the bin, and you don’t have to just drop it on the ground beside the bin.