But safely apart at home,
If you have one.
19:00 hours: One Minute to Be Silent, Then One Minute to Be Connected –
Separate yet Together
Covid-19 has separated us physically from one another, or rather
we have separated ourselves in order to protect ourselves from SARS-Cov2.
But we need not be socially or spiritually separated from one another.
Take a minute at 19:00 hours (7 pm) to say a prayer or keep silence or remember others.
None of us are in this alone. Most all of us can reach out to others. Do what you can, for yourselves and for others. Be careful, respectful, and courageously hopeful.
Take a minute at 19:01 hours (7:01 pm) to say, by making noise, creative and loud noise (so that others know), you are there and well.
If you are in a car, honk!
If you are at home, set up music to play loudly!
Or set off your smoke alarm (test button only, not smoke- be smart!)
Or have the children join you in loud singing their favourite song, or hooping and hollering!
Be creative, coordinate your noise making with neighbours, so that there’s cooperation in the music or noise.
Then at 19:15 listen in quiet, unless …
At 19:15 if you need help now it’s your turn to make some noise.
If you need help urgently, if it is an emergency, make the three long noises, three short noises, and finally three more short noises for the Morse code for SOS.
Listen, and respond, with care to keep from passing contagions between people, households, or neighbours.
Consider that every day we are inundated with Covid-19 news, most of it alarming. To keep this in perspective, perhaps limit one’s news gathering/listening to the news to shorter periods at most 2 to 3 times each day.
And
Take a minute at 07:00 hours, or the beginning of your day, as at 19:00 hours, to say a prayer or keep silence or remember others.
Colour the beginning of each of your days with Courage, with Compassion, with Creativity, and with Hope.
Know that you are not alone as you do this.
Invite others to keep these minutes as well.
Let our paths virtually cross.