We’re now living a life of social distancing. Almost all of us are isolated at home. The only people you regularly see are the ones living in your house. Occasionally you’ll Facetime or Zoom your friends or family, but it’s not the same as a live contact. It’s a lot less personal. Running into people that you don’t know is a rare occurrence.

So how do you act when you have the rare live meeting with a stranger?

I’m outside for a walk around the neighborhood a few times each day. It’s my way of getting some exercise and fresh air. It also helps kill the time and the monotony of being quarantined all day.

During my walks, I usually see a few others outside. Some may be walking their dogs, while others just want to do the same thing as me. When we approach each other, someone will move to one side of the street. We definitely are staying six feet or further away. Respect the boundaries of the other person. Respect social distancing.

But while keeping that distance, a greeting is almost always exchanged. Sometimes it’s just a wave, Other times it’s “Hi. How ya doing?” Occasionally there’s a short discussion about the crazy way we’re all trying to exist.

It’s always friendly.

Were personal interactions with strangers always like this? Of course not! Because of the strange days in which we’re living and our longing for personal contact, we’re changing our behaviors in all sorts of ways. This is one of them.

This new friendliness is one of the good things to come out of the pandemic. Give it a try the next time you run into a stranger. See how good it makes you feel….unless you’re in the toilet paper aisle of the grocery store. Then you’re on your own and anything goes.

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