“A good neighbor is a priceless treasure.” Chinese Proverb

My hope, as I write this, is that you are all safe and focused on the health of your loved ones. For those who are dealing with the virus first-hand – whether it’s affecting someone close to you or you’re on the front lines fighting for us all – my thoughts for strength and faith go out to you.

As we are all well aware, we’re no longer living in normal times. There has been much opined about the “new normal” or even the “next normal”. And at this point, each day is literally a new one – and the moments seem more meaningful than ever. Regardless of your profession, address, experiences, age, gender identity, ethnicity, skills, education or otherwise, there isn’t a single person on this earth today who isn’t involved, engaged, or affected by this global crisis in some way. No doubt that we will be feeling the impacts for months to come, but for now, today, it’s all about this moment. And in this moment, it’s about being wherever you are and making a difference, taking it one day at a time. Making a difference to ensure that there’s a better tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. I hope that we’d all agree that this is not just for our loved ones but for our neighbors as well – not only our immediate friends, colleagues and acquaintances – but our global neighbors, as we are all connected by our humanity across society. This pandemic has shown us how tightly intertwined we all are – highlighting the fact that while the world is a big place, we’re actually much closer to each other than perhaps we once believed.

 I’ve been asked a lot over the past couple of weeks what “normal” now looks like. So, I’d like to share my thoughts on what “neighboring normal” means.

Neighboring Normal

·     Show Your Compassion – whether embracing (virtually) your loved ones or demonstrating support and empathy to those in the greatest of need, there is no better time than right now.

·     Foster Connections – reach out (virtually) to someone. Don’t adhere to social distancing—adhere to physical distancing. Strengthen your social connections – personally and professionally. Communicate MORE!

·     Strengthen Your Community - there couldn’t be a better time to lean on your community, to expand it and even create new ones. These moments are clearly pushing us to refocus on whom and what are most critical. Build on this now.

·     Change Your Position – figuratively and literally. Get up and move around. Alter your surroundings. If you’re stuck or in a rut, take a break – physically and mentally. Meditate, exercise, do something different now.

·     Care for Yourself (and ensure others do the same) & Consume what you need to in order to stay healthy (food, content, etc!). Get rest. Focus on what you can Control.

How about you? Any insights or revelations you would share about your “neighboring” or “next” normal? I have no doubt that we will get through this together. And there’s no question that if we embrace each other as neighbors, work together, and focus on what’s really important, we will have a positive impact. So, let’s keep doing that, shall we? After all, we are neighbors, aren’t we?