Note from Louisa

​Every spring, as we start to come out of hibernation and return to outdoor activity, I am always surprised by the joy I feel as I casually encounter neighbors and strangers moving through my day-to-day routine. They may be walking their dogs, taking a stroll, or mowing their lawns, but there is always this gentle invitation to stop for a moment and exchange a few words.
 
These brief interactions are known as micro connections: the laughter shared with the person checking out your groceries, the gentle exchange when you ask for assistance at the hardware store, the chat with the gardener as you pass their house on your walk. These interactions are supremely valuable to our well-being though their importance is often discarded in favor of relationships with weightier and more decisive labels like “partner”, “child”, “parent”, or “friend”.  While we may overlook the value of these small interactions, they can be quite pivotal in lightening our mood and reminding us that people are generally helpful and kind. 
 
My daughter shared a recent interaction when she had a delivery of a larger piece of furniture that was too difficult to move from the mailroom to her apartment several buildings away. Instead, she asked if she might unbox it in the mailroom and transport the individual pieces which were small enough for her to manage alone. She went on to recount how every person who entered the mail room as she went about this task asked about her endeavors and offered her some assistance.
 
One kind couple carried her trash out to the dumpster, another took her recycling, and one man helped by taking the pieces to her apartment in a single trip with his truck. Some smiled or offered words of encouragement. These were small interactions that made my daughter’s large task more manageable without truly inconveniencing any one person who helped. Each small action creates a feedback loop that allows everyone to leave the interaction feeling more positive and connected.
 
As the world becomes more solitary in the wake of the pandemic, we have lost many of these opportunities for social interactions. We may no longer have someone who checks out our groceries or a teller who deposits our checks. And we all have stories of the impersonal automated customer care calls that make human interaction (and assistance) nearly impossible. 
 
Herein lies the task… the invitation. As you go about your busy day, slow down a bit, take out your ear buds if you see a neighbor and greet them on your walk, offer a wave of gratitude to the driver that let you cut in in front of them, ask your mail carrier how their day is going, tell a stranger something you appreciate about them.
 
You’ll be doing you both a mighty favor.
 
“May you be rocked, as deeply as necessary and as gently as possible”
~Anonymous


Louisa