Some advice for you, how to be social without contact is possible. I don’t know about you but this social distancing is hard. Who even knew there was such a thing, right? Now we all know what it is and don’t really like it.

When I was in high school I lived in Japan. We had typhoons there. For some reason, it’s a typhoon instead of a hurricane in the Pacific. Anyway, we used to get out of school for a week or so and that meant, “Typhoon Party”.

Yeah, I know, it sounds so foolish now, but we had to get together. The 180 days, eight to ten hours a day in school together just isn’t enough. We thought a typhoon party was the thing to do. Even though others were hunkered down in homes that had a tin roof.

I guess the only reason we were not terribly criticized over this was that there were no 24/7 news channels.

Don’t Be Too Judgey, They are just being social

It is so easy to judge all those spring-break, college students, right now. The news is showing the beaches crowded with their activities every hour or so and they should not be there like that, I know. It is so easy to judge their parents and them from your couch.

Try to remember how it was when you were younger. For some reason the younger we are the less we worry about morbidity and let’s be honest, you didn’t either. Youthfulness is a gift so easily taken for granted, but the bottom line is we were made to be social.

Be Social, without contact

We were made to be social. God knew that from the very beginning. He gave Adam a companion to enjoy paradise with him.

²³ The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”

²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

²⁵ Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:23-25

I don’t know about you but walking around paradise without anyone calling my name seems like the real deal. Apparently God did not want Adam to be alone, so He created his help.

I still don’t walk around naked and unashamed, but that is another story. What I want to point out is the fact that even in paradise two people wanted to be social with one another.

We were made to be social

I’ve decided I am going to start a Huggers Anonymous group. Yep, because I am a hugger and all this no contact is driving me bonkers. I am a nurse, touching people physically and emotionally is my thing. I need physical contact with others. Rubbing a patient’s back or just touching their hand is a part of healing.

Not shaking hands, hugging or just reaching out a touching someone for me is just rude and not caring. It is hurting my feelings too.

You can still show you care

I hate to talk on the phone. I really, really do hate it. This is kind of a surprise because at one point in my life the phone in our kitchen was permanently attached to my ear. The cord was 12 ft long so I could drag it around the house away from nosey parents and siblings. I didn’t want them to hear the long pauses and breathing gong on when the conversation got kind of thin.

There are still a lot of people out there that just need a phone call. They need to hear that someone cares about them. Maybe their entire family lives farther away than you and can’t get there for daily tasks.

Heres where you can be social without contact

Prescriptions need to be picked up and groceries need to be bought. My neighbor is 92, she would just like to be spoken to. Her daughter takes care of her needs, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t appreciate a call.

My youngest child just had her first baby. He was four days old when they decided a 14-day quarantine is in our best interest. A phone call might not do anything for us right now. She lives 3 hours away, but there are Skype and Facetime. Both systems offer the privilege of seeing and talking to someone. It is not the same and may not give you your “hug” fix. It is something, though. Better than what it used to be.

Think outside of the box

Today is different than yesterday. We may never go back to the way it was, but we can learn something new. Everyone is learning that there are ways to continue the best practices. Teachers are teaching from home. Doctors are setting up virtual appointments.

Being social without contact can be done. College students are taking time out of their busy lives to deliver essentials to people in their communities. They may still be getting together somehow, but don’t judge them too quickly. We were wired to be social.

Negative impacts of isolation

Being social without contact is important because there are negative impacts of isolation. The tactic of putting someone in isolation has been a wartime punishment for years as well as prison punishment. Isolation plays tricks on our minds and hearts.

Loneliness and depression can set in quickly. I personally found myself crying a lot and realized I needed to do something about this.

Advice for You, Be social without contact

• Use your cell phone to call someone and physically talk to them.
• Reach out and help others.
• If your church offers online watching, attend it.
• Exercise, there isn’t anything exercise won’t help.
• Go for a walk, sunshine and fresh air help freshen the mind.
• Get out a calendar and make plans for something fun after this is over.
• Plan your next vacation.
• Attend a virtual tour of the museums around the world like the Lourve.
• Read, do a puzzle, knit, sew, paint.

The list could go on and on. Just don’t forget, this too shall pass. We will find that after these 15 days are over you learned something about yourself. You will learn that there are other ways to be social and you did something amazing for your fellow humans around the world.

I realize you can be social without contact and the world will be better for it. We will also learn that slowing down and looking out for someone other than ourselves is what love is. Honestly, Janet