It’s subtle, but perhaps you sense it too. We’ve been detached, away, not present for so long now, we’re going to have to re-learn how to interact. A prolonged crisis will do that to some people- make them defensive, self-absorbed, even oblivious. It was about survival for many, and it makes some sense.
But now, let’s remember to stay interested and involved with conversations. Let’s not allow our minds to wander so quickly. Let’s ask questions like interested people used to. The sun did shine over the past 16-months, but maybe just now we’re seeing the light of optimism and can thus start to act accordingly, again.
People have been caught up in their own worlds, melodramas, daily statistics, and fears- understandably so. As hybrid workplaces begin to flourish, perhaps the effects of being Zoom zombies will wear away. Some might’ve lost a bit of that knack for simply being involved with others but will now venture forth into a morphed world that we displaced while in our universal timeouts. We’ve been cooped up for far too long, and we understand why, but we’re now realizing a gradual reclamation of normalcy ahead, with our strong, local belief system steeped in values of pono, mālama, laulima, ha’aha’a, and aloha.
It’s time (post-vaccine, sans masks) to breathe more freely and reconnect with co-workers, friends, family, neighbors, and associates. We can (carefully) move beyond the staid realm of distancing, vaccination discussions, COVID protocols, tiers of acceptable socialization, and start behaving like our old selves by re-engaging the world beyond our own bubbles.
You’re still here; you’ve survived the worst communal threat to our species in modern times. While safety precautions remain in place for an undetermined amount of time, the vital vaccines offer hope and a gradual return to pre-COVID civility and focus.
Many people here still struggle; we must continue supporting and volunteering to help those less fortunate. We must open up our empathetic souls as we emerge from our caves after 16-months of hunkering down.
The sometimes innocuous, mundane, daily conversations we put on hiatus as we all dealt with an insidious and invisible foe can reappear. Pandemic panic is abating here as people get antibodies and act less antisocial. So yes, I promise to be fully engaged now as you regale me with hyperbolic banter about that incredible par save you made on the 15th hole last Saturday!
Think about it…