I am still getting the hang of this social distancing thing we all have to do.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. As an American, I feel it is my duty to look out for other Americans, that’s what the social contract is all about right? So wearing a mask is not a big deal, and social distance is not a big deal either… the thing is that I’m a hugger and a cuddler and a close-talker, so I have to change how I interact with people. This is just a mental adjustment, so I need to find a way to flip a switch in my head just like it’s a thermostat. I can change the thermostat setting from heating to cooling, and anywhere in between, so I need to change the personal settings in my behavior. This is an easy analogy to keep in mind, because one of my regular jobs at the HVAC company is installing and testing thermostats and climate control consoles. It used to be a much easier job, and any of the HVAC guys could do it, but the new generations of smart thermostat are increasingly difficult to install and program. It sort of fell to me through blind luck to focus on the smart thermostat installs. That’s not all I do, of course, I’m a certified HVAC tech so I can do most anything, but I always handle these jobs now. Hopefully I can reprogram my brain to social distance as easily as I can reprogram a smart thermostat, although I kind of doubt it.