We recently wrote about some of the opportunities that will arise out of this challenging time, from new lines of sales to reimagined jobs, but it was a piece on ESPN.com, along with several other social posts to remind us of things we have had a chance to revisit, to (figuratively) embrace, and to help us realize how much we as social animals, and how much we value the interaction and the gatherings big and small that help make us whole.
The post by Ryan Hockensmith talked about the value of seemingly meaningless baseball cards from years gone by, and how they became a touchstone with a flood of memories attached to each. I have seen similar stories about game programs, ticket stubs and playbills, all of which were put away in draws and files that were being subject to Coronavirus cleaning. Each was deeply personal, and served as a reminder of people, places, and shared experiences past. The irony of those connections to the past is that many feel, through the advancement of the digital world, through conservation of paper, and through the changes limiting human touch that many of those literal “touchpoints” may be gone forever. We need to use cashless systems, have tickets on our mobile device and apps that show us highlights and lineups sure, but we also need the tactile and tangible to make us whole, and even in a streamlined and safe world with more efficient practices of the future need to be blended with all the little things that make an experience whole. We are going to be more noticeful of our surroundings but we also have to notice that we are not always clean and pristine; it’s the little messiness that actually make us special.
There were three recent “days” that really brought to light what we are missing. None are of the earthshaking category; they are mere blips on a calendar where every day, even with self-distancing, is still a call to action for any myriad of events. They have all taken place during this hiatus, and hopefully, all will be restored in some socially safe way before too long. One was National High Five Day, which celebrated one of the most important, and now perhaps outlawed, traditions in American sport. Another was Free Comic Book Day, when kids of every age would flock to a local store to collect some priceless, good old-fashioned comics on the first Saturday of May. The third was Star Wars Day, yes May 4th, which did have a virtual lift but was usually celebrated with in person special events and dressings up of various levels. The first two hardly registered at all this year, and that was tough to see as they represented some of the grandest expressions, we have…using emotion and imagination to grow. The third did ok, (and frankly having “The 4th, or Force with us is needed more than ever), but it still got lost amongst the wash of COVID-19 news. The last two were also more important personally to me, as they were days where my son Andrew and I always connected, as his interests were of liking, not loving, sports, but we could always, and still do, talk about those other areas of creativity and imagination.
Were those three days a reason to break ranks and shout at leaders to change social distancing or evoke Constitutional rights? No. But they were some great examples of the little things we miss; and little things make us whole.
Lastly, one more note about missing from May. The month is always one of celebration in and around our family; wedding anniversary, Mother’s Day, someone in transition from one area of school to the next, from students I work with to our own kids and relatives, and any myriad of confirmations, communions, bar mitzvahs and graduations. There is a great deal of sadness and disappointment, especially amongst those young people missing out on the traditions of graduation as we have come to know them. It is even more bittersweet when going around these few weeks and seeing the congratulations of acceptance signs and the graduation proclamations posted on social sites and front lawns; they may seem hollow, but they are important and very much needed. These too, like games and concerts and plays, are very much cathartic communal experiences which can’t be adequately captured in a virtual world. They are nice, but they need all the little touches to make them complete. Let’s hope that all those touches can literally be completed soon. They too should be postponed, not cancelled, as we have seen with so many other events recently. If you know of someone involved in that rite of passage, one that we have all enjoyed, drop them a note, or a wave or a text. It may seem trivial, but it certainly is not, and the hope is that the celebration will be grander on the other side of this…at least we hope.
So yes there will be learnings from this experience for all…some are of best practices yet to come, some will be as part of a reminder of what makes us whole, and sadly some will be painful because of some form of loss. What’s most important is that we keep listening, keep remembering and keep sharing, and somewhere down the line we can bring back those little things that make us complete, high fives, group hugs, free comic books and all.
