Check on your friends who live alone.
(well, all of your friends, read on please)
While you’re complaining about being cooped up in your house with your family or screaming kids, there are a lot of people who literally have no human interaction at all right now. You may miss going to the gym or getting alone time but they miss that simple trip to the gym or cafe or grocery store (minus the chaos and eerie feeling that is present right now) because that is usually the main and only source of their human interaction for the day or week.
I think it’s a beautiful time to remember that each of us has a different experience, a different reality. So, instead of complaining or judging or throwing a pity party, be grateful for what you have right now.
If you have a family that’s making you crazy right now, that’s okay. You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed by that and be exhausted too but please be grateful for them too. Be grateful you have a home with things to occupy each other or do together. Take this opportunity to enjoy each other more, maybe in a way you haven’t in a long time. Don’t take it for granted because some people would give anything to have someone to sit on the couch with right now, even if they’re jumping all over you or screaming.
If you live alone and are feeling more lonely than ever right now, that’s okay. You are allowed to feel sad and you’re allowed to feel alone but be grateful for your space. Be grateful for the internet, for a phone call, for the ability to connect with others. Take this opportunity to use video chat, pick up the phone and call versus text, drive by a friend’s window and wave or drop something off on a friend’s doorstep. But don’t take for granted the quiet that may be feeling overwhelming right now because someone, somewhere is currently wishing for that space and quiet too.
You see, we get so caught up and what we “can’t have” right now that we are failing to see what we do and we’re failing to see that it’s really not that bad. We’re healthy. We’re safe. And we’re all in this together.
Check on your friends who live alone, they may not really be okay right now. I called Tony crying the other night because I can’t take my normal trips or go to my normal places, which are the only source of interaction I get most days and in that moment I needed to say it out loud. That’s OKAY.
So, check on your friends with a house full of kids, they may not really be okay right now. They may be crying in the bathroom because they’re scared or because they haven’t had one single moment to themselves in a week. And your call or text about something random or light might be a moment they can cling to, it might just stop them from feeling like they’re going over the edge.
Moral of the story: Show up for each other.
Be kind.
Connect.
Support.
And do all of those things without judgment
This is your chance to peel it all back and just be a kind human.
That’s what we all need.