Reach out

We have, as a society, suffered great trauma recently. No matter which side of this whole Covid business you espouse, you have suffered trauma. There are people who have listened to the news daily and have lived in fear for almost a year. There are people who have not seen family and loved ones out of respect or fear. There are people who have lost jobs. There are people who have been told they aren’t essential. There are people who have been told they are selfish because they don’t agree with the main narrative. There are people who have lost loved ones to Covid or have fallen ill themselves. There are people who have to wear a mask a work or school. There are others who want their freedoms back.

For the normal every day people there are no winners. None.

What can we do now? People who suffer trauma are no longer using rational as their primary mode of processing. Fear has significant and detrimental effects on our ability to think and plan for the future.

So what do we do?

We go small. Cross the street and talk to your neighbour. Cook with your kids. Watch the neighbor’s child show off how well she can skip. Give a gift to a friend. Drop a meal at the home of an elderly person. MAKE IT PERSONAL. Don’t send a text, or call. GO!

We need faces. We need people. We need community.

Be present in your own life. If each one of us did this, much of the trauma we have suffered would start to heal. You are powerful if you act small. Don’t get caught up in the world’s drama, the wide sweeping events that are too big for you to solve. Go small.