How to be Friendly during a Pandemic

I don’t know about you, but lately, I’ve been scared of everyone. The second a see someone walking towards me on the sidewalk, I cross the street. When venturing out of my house, I plan the best route with the least amount of people. We’ve been told to fear one another and to stay as far away from people as possible, to protect ourselves and others from Covid-19. However, I don’t remember ever being advised to stop being kind to each other, and stop hoping the best for the stranger walking past you. But this seems to have been a side-effect of the fear.

I went camping this past summer and had an eye-opening experience that helped me realize that in my pursuit of covid-safety, I had let myself lose a bit of my humanity. It was about 10pm, the campsite was quiet and dark. I was just putting out the campfire and my boyfriend was in the tent setting up our sleeping bags. We were so excited and so grateful to be out of the city, away from the fear and panic of Covid, and instead, in the wilderness with only each other. That covid-safe bubble popped when at about 10:02pm, a couple walks onto our campsite asking for a lighter. “Excuse me, we’re so sorry to bother you but we just got to our campsite and we forgot our lighter which we need to make a fire for our dinner. Do you happen to have one we could borrow?” and what did I say? To these two strangers who just entered my covid-free zone? I said ‘Really sorry but we can’t help you, good luck.’ I couldn’t believe that was my response! Thankfully my partner, Simon hadn’t lost as much of his kindness for humanity as I had, and interjected, tossing them a lighter.

Just like the people who rushed to the grocery stores to take every last roll of toilet paper and Lysol wipe, I too, had let my fear get in the way of being there for others. I still catch myself justifying my unfriendliness due to the pandemic. It’s scary out there, and we are all (hopefully) doing our best to protect ourselves and those around us, but I’ve found that there are a few ways to hold on to my love and appreciation for strangers while still being safe. Because you know what, I miss smiling at strangers! Try these few things, and let me know if there’s anything else you’ve done that’s worked for you!

1. Hold the door for someone! This good deed is actually even nicer nowadays, because you’re preventing them from having to touch the gross door handle!
2. Give people at least 6ft of space, and wear your mask so that the people around you feel safe and comfortable
3. Don’t social distance, PHYSICAL Distance! Remember that socializing isn’t canceled, there are still plenty of safe ways to connect with people. Call someone up, volunteer to call seniors home, host Zoom events, etc. The opportunities are there if you look for them!
4. Buy local! Websites such as Not-Amazon.ca have popped up recently, promoting stores that are local. Supporting your neighbourhood stores is a great way to know that you are supporting someone other than yourself
5. It’s especially difficult to support and show kindness to homeless people right now because of the fear of going closer than 6ft, but there are charities and food banks that you can definitely still support to help out!

These are trying times, and it’s crucial to take a moment and ask yourself what you currently need and how you can be there for yourself before you’re able to be there for others. When I checked in with myself, I found that it’s the Random of Acts of Kindness that I missed! So if that’s your case as well, I hope this helps!