Me Thinks

 Loneliness was already a problem in the world before the pandemic, but now more people are experiencing loneliness than ever before. We are shut in, told to avoid gathering with people, and scared to associate for fear of becoming contaminated. This morning I read an article listing three things people can do this week to combat loneliness:

• Make a phone call to someone outside of your immediate family. While the tech-of-choice for the pandemic is video chat, a phone call uniquely places the participants in their own world rather than forcing them to look at poorly rendered mirror images of themselves.
  
• Handwrite a thank-you note or letter to someone who has helped you. Maybe it’s the postal worker who delivers your packages, or maybe it’s your third-grade teacher. Let someone know you appreciate them, and do it with old-fashioned flare.
• Look someone in the eye and give them a wave the next time you venture outside. Social distancing has forced people apart, perhaps also sending the message others should be avoided. Let someone know you acknowledge them as another human being.

I'm going to do the three suggested things this week and I hope you will join me. "Loneliness can be beat so long as the world is willing to connect."

(https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/8/29/21403306/loneliness-pandemic-covid-19-byu-how-to-connect)