It’s a new day. We’ve made it through this self isolation and now what? 🤷🏽‍♀️ It’s time to slowly go back to doing *some* of the things we used to do. Why not all? Why not jump right into doing ALL of our usual, favorite things?

What was “normal” before COVID-19? How were we living our lives? My friends can tell you that I am someone who asks many questions. I ask because I want to understand and learn. Sometimes I ask because I want to unlearn and change my ways of living. However, the most important thing that COVID-19 has taught me is that we can’t go back to our old ways of being and our “new” decisions have to encompass more than just ourselves.

Albert Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” How do we make sure that, as we come out of this social isolation, we move forward in a way that can benefit out communities?

We still have to keep in mind that our actions will always affect our relations. We’ve had a small taste of how the actions of a few people can cause great repercussions for the rest. Some of us understood or experienced this sooner. Some of us have to go through a pandemic or even lose a loved one to care.

Our actions matter.

Many of us have unlearned our usual individualistic ways of being. We are now asking, what about the Elders? What about my neighbor? Can we make an effort to always ask ourselves those questions when making decisions, not only when our life is at risk?

Let’s continue practicing care for each other in ways they can’t always see. If the most important currency right now is toilet paper, could we leave it as a gift to our friends? Could we give them a call just to check in even after the pandemic? If we do this together as a whole society it will be easier to create new and better habits of care and support for each other. Don’t just care about the homeless during a pandemic. Don’t just care about Black and Indigenous Peoples’ lack of access to healthcare and racism during a pandemic. Don’t just act like you didn’t know your neighbor was living paycheque to paycheque, that it’s because they got laid off they were not able to afford a full meal. Can YOU continue the practice of collective care in your community? Can you continue caring? I see no way forward unless we continue to stand together.

How can you start? Begin with a smile.

Then practice genuinely caring, genuinely asking without expecting anything in return. Who cares what people say or think. Your smile and your time—they are worth more than any job or reward can offer. Make time to care.