Years ago, I had a wonderful dog named Molly. She was friendly and loving. After a few years of neighborhood walks, we made a change. We sectioned off a part of the backyard, put down some good drainage gravel, and trained Molly to do her business there. No more walks in the rain and plastic bag pickups from long grass and weeds. We just opened the sliding door and sent Molly to the rocks. Great call, right? Nah.

We’d been doing this for many months when, on a beautiful spring day, I took Molly to watch a local softball game. She had always loved going places with me, and I was looking forward to enjoying the game.

Instead, I had a whiny, anxious dog who could not settle down. She was pulling on the lead and randomly crying and yapping. It was very unlike her and quickly became the opposite of a relaxing afternoon. 

Enter COVID-19: The isolation has affected us as well.

We now have folks out there who are anxious about close encounters of the human kind. Some have gotten so used to being alone that they actually think they prefer it. But there is also a huge contingent, like the people I have been meeting at various events, who are bubbling over with the excitement of getting together again safely. The energy at these in-person events is palpable, and the smiles are huge, genuine, and frequent.

Regardless of how convenient it is or even how effective we can be in our own backyards; people are social critters.

Blue zone studies repeatedly confirm that one of the most significant contributing factors to longevity is meaningful and frequent social connections.

After that softball game, Molly and I got back to regular walks. Her anxiety subsided, and she lived a long and healthy life. 

How about you? 

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