Cocktails at 6

Six feet apart, that is. There are no words to describe this terrible pandemic that has infiltrated every corner of our country. It is an unsettling time and we have good reason to be afraid.

In my introductory blog, I spoke about the bonds of a community and how we care for each other and share our lives. There is no frame of reference for what we are going through now. It is hard to know what to do. But, slowly but surely, I see my community coping and coming together again.

We are reinventing how to fellowship. Last night, my husband Bill and I stood in a yard with three of our nearby neighbors. We went separately into our individual homes, poured individual beverages of choice, but then shared a cocktail hour standing more than six feet apart.

We “caught up” – talked about working from home, talked about our kids – all the things we take for granted in a non-pandemic world. I didn’t mind standing for almost an hour and talking to each other from across the yard. It was healing to see my neighbors again.

And in my former busy life, I failed to notice the neighborhood baby boom. In the new stay at home reality, the streets are noticeably full of parents with strollers. I wear the Mrs. Kravitz label with pride, yet, somehow I missed the babies who were being born! And other new faces who are taking in some fresh air, walking the dogs, getting through this disaster the best they can.  

“Hey Bill, look out the window. I’ve never seen them before. Have you?” has become a regular refrain at my house. I feel an incredible sense of community and hope in this dark time by seeing the people who live in my neighborhood.

Community matters. We give comfort to each other even in our distance. Tie those white ribbons around your trees for our health care heroes. Cheer the postal workers and delivery truck drivers who are keeping us stocked. Pray for the small businesses and restaurant workers whose lives are interrupted. Support them any way that you can. 

Walk down your street and raise a glass to us and what we can do together, even when we are six feet apart.