Day 9

Originally posted in 2020 as part of the series The View From Here: Life in Lockdown

Staying in one place all day makes me grumpy. It’s not just me, it’s my whole family. There’s something in our genes that starts to go haywire right at the 24-hour mark. I could feel it coming on, and since I had spent the whole work day watching blue jays chase squirrels on the fence, I decided to take myself for a walk.  

I live in a friendly little suburb full of friendly little people who live in friendly little houses. A number of us even know each other’s names, which seems like a rare thing these days. When we see each other out and about, we say hello. Or sometimes we just smile and nod. In the past, it’s been a little annoying to have to say hello or smile or wave or nod to every single person I passed on the street. It was almost a burden to have to disrupt my train of thought and be polite. It was something I actually complained about. 

I spent an hour walking around the neighborhood today, and barely anyone smiled or waved. I was ready, too. I smiled and waved to a number of people who didn’t even turn their heads. After the first half hour, I stopped trying. I crossed the street when I saw someone coming my way—that’s just a good social distancing practice—and that was it. We were strangers occupying different sidewalks on opposite sides of the street. 

The sidewalks were covered in positive messages scrawled in colorful chalk. One message read, Have a great day! People tape their kids’ art on the windows facing out so that people can see. It’s all very pretty, and a little lonely. A bright pink chalk message on the corner read, You Belong. I didn’t think I’d miss saying hi to other people. 

On the way back, I saw a big black crow perched on a fence. Its right claw was grasped around a small, coiled grass snake. The crow tore little bits off the snake and didn’t budge until I was close. After that, it reluctantly flew off to find another spot to finish its meal. 

I got back to the house feeling worse than when I had left. I showered, changed, and wandered into the living room ready to sack out on the couch and lose myself in a few hours of TV. It was there I found my fiancé making notes on a whiteboard. He was organizing our home projects, DIY projects, and wedding projects into separate columns. “What?” he said when he saw my face. “You like lists. Now we know what we need to do.”

I was touched, and it was just enough normalcy to bring me back to earth. This pandemic won’t last forever, and in the meantime we all need a dose of normal. I decided to keep taking walks, and while I’m out I will say hello to every person I see, even if they don’t say it back.