I met an evaluator several years ago who spoke of an idea to explore the relationships in our lives. His idea was to have a person carry a tiny GPS tracking device in a pocket that would record the path of the person. It could then produce an image of the places visited over a span of time.

This was an interesting idea at the time as I spoke with some people who were in programs who spoke of their loneliness and how they didn’t go to places other than the program and home. I have thought of this recently in light of the public health restrictions imposed and felt by the pandemic.

I have noticed how much more positive my outlook is when I am getting out to places and seeing neighbours. These are the times when I see and hear how neighbours are doing and what they have been up to. There are reasonable and common sense precautions that are taken due to the shifting risks of the pandemic in spite of the messages of chronic fear and anxiety.

This Saturday morning I went out on a walk wearing my Cincinnati Bengals gear. Usually my Bengals gear is packed away by now, but that’s another story. On this walk I had conversations with three different people about the upcoming game, the excitement that the Bengals are in the playoffs, and what team the person was cheering for. The walk was a great way to start my weekend.