Get OUT! It's time to go out side.

Get Out!

I have been noticing a depressing trend after COVID, we are acting like we are still in lockdown.  Mental health is a serious problem in our country right now, and we all need to consider selfcare.

I stopped in with a friend the other day, and she told me that she was unsatisfied with where she was living.  “I go camping and I don’t want to come home.”  I asked her what she did when she was home and she said the only thing she had there was work.  She goes and does her job and came home; nothing else.  Most artists I know, we are getting out to shows and seeing people face to face.  We are in our studios and creating inventory, organizing our supplies, re-stocking galleries but are we doing anything social?

I wouldn’t say we are pack animals like wolves but we do need social interaction.  Relying on shows and classes, isn’t enough.  Some of us realize that and we work on seeing people in other places but when the country went on lockdown and  started social distancing; we cut ourselves off from others.  It’s time now for you to walk out your front door, go get coffee with a friend and find new social groups.  Make time to get out of your studio, your house, your work; find new people.

As we age, it does seem like more is taken from us than we gain.  We lose friends to attrition; not just death but they move, we move, our political views make us feel uncomfortable and we stop talking to old friends, groups dissolve and circles of friends disappear.  That is the way life works. Our social circle needs maintenance because of this or we run into the situation where our circle shrinks down to our kitchen table and a good book,…… as the only thing we do.  So, I propose we get out of our house and look for new things to be involved in.

I grabbed my friend and said, “Let’s go check ‘this’ out.”  On our way, we stopped for a quick bite and found some other people we knew.  They offered up ideas of new activities to explore and low and behold, my friend suddenly had some new things to do.  It didn’t take a whole lot of effort, we had fun talking to these ladies and I have some new things to check out too.

Consider this my challenge to you,  Get Out!  Step off the threshold of your home and try one or two new things.  It’s time to meet new people.  Grab a buddy to go with you if you need support but it is time to break lockdown and social distancing.  If you must, grab a mask.  I’m okay with that and if the new group is offended, try another group of people.  Just GET OUT!!!  It’s June, and time to go outside and play.