Just Listen

A friend in Lithuania is losing colleagues by attrition. They're not dying, just leaving. If you can do your job from anywhere, why not go home?

So there she is on campus with fewer and fewer neighbors. And everyone must stay away from everyone else anyway. It would be easy to just tell ourselves we'll wait it out. But we've been waiting a longer time than we ever thought we would to return to normal.

Some people and getting creative. They walk or drive by and wave. Whole neighborhoods sing on balconies. Some folks drop by and leave contactless gifts. I love the idea that some of us are really trying to think of COVID-sensitive ways to reach out and love our neighbors.

These things don't solve the problem of loneliness, but they help.

It seems to me one of the most basic things you can do to love a person is to pay attention to them (appropriately). For me, the simplest thing is to pick up the phone and call. I'm saying, "I remember you, and I care about how you feel. I'm listening."

Don't wait till the time is right. Just call. Leave a voicemail if you have to. Talk to your neighbors over the fence. Sing 'em a song. Smile. Wave. Look 'em in the eye. Reach out and let the people in your world know that you remember them. That you care about how they feel. That you're listening. Then listen.