Isn’t it incredible how quickly life as we knew it changed into something completely new? I am absolutely gob-smacked at the resilience of Americans. Suddenly, we all keep our social distance when we absolutely have to leave the house. When we get to the store, it’s already been laid out with markers every 6 feet to keep safe the orderly lines waiting their turn to get in or to pay. New signs have sprouted up everywhere proclaiming Take Out and Delivery options available at our local eateries. And we all have a sense we are part of something even bigger than we can imagine.

Most days, if we are not lucky enough to still have a job, we are home, safe in our sanctuaries to choose what we wish to do next. Granted, the choices are limited and getting kind of old…but we are ever-resilient and find ways to amuse ourselves. Sometimes, we even amuse the world with a video gone viral. But mostly, we’ve gotten really really quiet now that there’s no traffic sounds or air traffic overhead.

And overnight, we started wearing masks. Masks that cover up the mask we USUALLY wear when we are in public. Now, all that’s left to communicate are our eyes. Have you noticed that when you’re out and about in the world, no one makes eye contact anymore. They peer out from behind their homemade mask and dip their heads down or away from you.

Which leads me to the realization that SEEING each other just got a whole lot harder. We’ve become largely invisible as we move through the aisles, avoiding contact.

I’ve always been the one who smiles at strangers. No one can see me now, and as a result, I’ve gotten very serious when I’m out in the world. Focused. Anonymous.

I started thinking about it…and I realized that to be kind, it becomes necessary to just BE kind without expressing it through eyes or smile. In other words, I need to ramp up my energy field. It’s the perfect time to strengthen compassion from the inside out, to send the energy of kindness to people we see without seeing. The rippling out of kindness goes much further than a smile, like a pebble in a pond.

We are all needing more love, more contact, more kindness, more hugs. I’ve included the Angel Hug here, a technique taught to me by an angel during a time I needed a hug but lived alone. It's from our little handbook, HEART WIDE OPEN - Self-Care for Caregivers. Over the years, it has soothed me…and millions of other people. Today, may it soothe you…