Being Apart

Somewhere in the middle of this article is the question about whether you should greet passers by on your walk in a time of social distancing. In my own experience, I find this to be an uncommon occurrence. I leap left, they leap right. Sometimes, when possible we take a turn to the side to avoid each other. Such actions don't promote the idea of saying Hi to each other as had been the norm pre-covid. 

",,here is “no data to suggest that opening the mouth to say ‘Hi’ is going to expose you,” if you’re the requisite six-plus feet away, despite the fear that it could lead to an accidental exchange of fluids. And eye contact — even a crinkle of a smile above a masked nose and mouth — is entirely non-threatening." 

While we all understand that smiling at someone is unlikely to kill us, it does appear that these days we don't want to deal with that. We want to keep moving while maintaining our distance. We are all getting to experience introversion whether or not it comes naturally to us. For those of us who get their energy from interacting with others, this is difficult. The source has been largely turned off unless you consider the endless Zoom meetings bleeding into happy hours.