Please and Thank you.

I am having a hard time focusing today.

Well beyond my usual level of being easily distracted. I might not be as bad as the dog in that movie whenever he thinks he sees a squirrel. But it's close to that level today. I don't know if it's burnout from the constant barrage of bad news and scary images. Or from every day bringing some new terrible thing happening that I have absolutely no control over. Maybe I just need a juice box and some apple slices. 

Either way, lately when I am out and about, I am working on being kinder to everyone I come into contact with. I feel like we are all exhausted. And not the usual after a long day type of exhausted. As in the "I'm on the verge of tears at all times" exhausted. Behind the mask, no one can see your smile, but they can see it in your eyes, or by the tone of your voice. 

It feels as though we all forgot how to "people" while we were social distancing. It's really all the little things we have forgotten. Saying please and thank you to retail and service staff is just the start. Holding doors open for each other, giving a wave to the car behind when they let us in, or even just a smile and nod to acknowledge the other person. 

I know it's hard, we have been told over the last almost two years that we need to protect each other by protecting ourselves first. Eventually though (hopefully) we will be out without masks on, and with less space needing to be between all of us. Then all the little niceties of being in a society will be important again. It doesn't take much to make someone else's day with a smile, or the barest amount of effort to make what they're doing a little easier. Let's not have all of that fall by the wayside. We are all in this together. How about we start acting like it.