Forget Ikea, Robyn is Sweden’s national treasure. I had to get that off of my chest.

I started walking every day for an hour or so. I usually get in just over six kilometers or four miles for you imperial folks. The pilgrimage is not without its prize – I place a mobile order for a grande Pike with light cream at Starbucks. I walk through the drive thru and a gloved barista hands me my coffee, our hands never touch each other and we smile without breathing, momentarily. It is a pretty good system. I am seriously thinking about eliminating the risk entirely though, buying cream, and making coffee at home. Yes, the coffee pot in the basement will be dusted, soon.

The first time I walked through the drive thru it felt strange. I was sandwiched between a couple of vehicles without any protection as I waited my turn. A man in the pickup truck behind me leaned out of his window and said, “Nice wheels!” with the smile.

It was the kind of comment a dad makes at the grocery store when an item doesn’t scan, “I guess it’s free.” A statement that would have been a real groaner 20 years ago when I was a cashier; a comment cut from a similar cloth goes a lot farther today though. It is even, dare I say it, appreciated.

“Thanks.” I replied. “I think this is what we do now.”

It was the first conversation I’ve had with a stranger in a while. People don’t make eye contact anymore when they walk past you – they are scared. I guess we all are. Should I hold my breath when I walk by someone? Can the water droplets from a heavily breathing jogger hang out in the air momentarily and infiltrate my nostrils or mouth? I don’t know.

I noticed a woman on the other side of the street pulling a little girl in a wagon. The woman’s head was down. She was walking purposefully as if the objective was to get fresh air as quickly as possible, on a clearly defined path, point A to B, no deviation, the most direct route. I watched them momentarily. The little girl who was about two years old looked over at me. I raised my hand and waved at her, an action that felt surprisingly foreign to me. She smiled and waved back at me. I nearly cried. Another human being acknowledged my existence.

When I used to live in Vancouver, a place where social distancing has been in effect forever, I thought it might be nice to bring a little small town to the city. One morning I decided that on my walk to work I would see how many people smiled back at me when I smiled at them first. I smiled at 32 people and I achieved 100% return on my investment. They all smiled back.

It is worth remembering as we employ strict social distancing measures that a wave or a head nod are completely safe. Acknowledgment is both meaningful and powerful and some folks need it right now. When you think about it, in some respects, we are more connected as human beings in our experience now than ever before — it is life and death and in life and death sides don’t matter anymore as we take on something much bigger than any of us.

More Observations

1. DIY: It might be the right time to try the grey/blonde hair colour I’ve always wanted to try.

Note: Don’t worry, TorieB I won’t touch my own hair.

2. Discovered a new game while cleaning my closet, it is called, ‘Find it / Wear it’

[wedding dress / western hat]

3. Sometimes when I catch a glimpse of myself in a reflective surface I wave in acknowledgment of my existence.

4. Where’s Waldo? Orange jacket guy’s social distancing game is strong.

 5. Smiley face or Jesus’ face? You decide. #mugart

Stay great!

Kate