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Unless you are extraordinarily introverted (like me), you may be having a hard time during this most recent round of restrictions put in place by our government.  Life during a pandemic does not have to feel isolated.  We absolutely need to do things differently; we can’t grab a drink after work anymore or meet up for coffee to pick each other’s brains and discuss whatever problem has come up at work or home.  But there are options for us. These suggestions will revolve around a video meeting platform.

I am sure that you have noticed that the arts community has really stepped up and made performances and other events accessible online.  It’s fun to enjoy them from the comfort of your own home and see how creative organizations are doing things differently.  Speaking as someone terrified of meeting people in real life, I enjoy these new developments.  One of my favourite pandemic events was a performance of the Il Cristantemi by Puccini at the Palau Opera House in Barcelona. for an audience of plants. Here are some ideas on how to network and connect with others when you can’t meet new people and feel desperate for new energy and new ideas.

Try out a new club, group, or service.

Do you belong to a networking group or community already?  Have they moved their meetings online?  Check with your group. The meetings won’t be the same, but most organizations are finding a way to carry on. Often the online meetings will be smaller.  Take advantage of this. A smaller gathering will give you a chance to ask questions, and your opinions will be heard and discussed. If you don’t already have a networking group, let me offer up my personal favourite, Creative Mornings. Edmonton has its own chapter. Spend a Friday morning drinking your coffee with these guys. You will learn a great deal, often about topics you didn’t even know were important. Don’t let the name of the group scare you away.  The very first part of the manifesto reads: “Everyone is creative.”

Meet new people safely.

Since we aren’t going out to bars, parties, or even trade shows right now, and we may be getting a little bit bored with our current circle of friends/acquaintances/loved ones.  There is a solution to this problem. It’s called Lunchclub, and it’s a free curated professional networking service – that will connect you with a like-minded individual, or at least with someone who shares common interests.  You get to have a video chat for 45 minutes, and from there, you can decide if you want to stay in touch. It’s a great way to practice your conversational skills.  When we aren’t able to see people regularly, we often feel awkward talking to new people. This platform gives you a chance to practice just that. Meeting like-minded, or not all like-minded people, is a great way to find new interests and new friends. This is an invite-only service.

Speaking of practicing skills, do you have a library membership?  Did you know that a library card comes with a free membership to Lynda.com?  You can learn new skills in business, or design, software development, etc. It’s absolutely worth looking into. We have all this time; why not make use of it.

Change the way you connect.

One thing I have this year is that video meetings have replaced phone calls. I have a love/hate relationship with this. I don’t mind using a video platform if I am expecting the meeting.  But if you call randomly, you shouldn’t expect us to want to use our cameras.  There is a level of respect that needs to be adhered to. Just because you are confident using a camera doesn’t mean we all are.  Start the meeting off with an audio-only connection, and then ask if the other person wants to move to video.

Ask your connection personal(ish) questions. For instance, how they are coping during this time.  Or how their families are doing. A bit of interest and empathy go a long way, especially when people feel locked up and disconnected.  Being real and authentic is important. Not only for the people you are reaching out to but for your own self. We can all spare a few minutes to care about others.

Ask your friends and colleagues about how you can be helpful during this time.  Helpfulness is infectious. This idea will germinate, and you will notice that your connections will pick up the practice. Empathy and being of service to others will change society.

Be patient.

The most important lesson that I have learned from COVID is that life moves at a much slower pace now. I still catch myself sighing and rolling my eyes when technical difficulties arise during a webinar or meeting. I am far from perfect myself, but I really struggle when I feel that people are wasting my time. Realizing that I have nowhere else to go right now is starting to help me cope a little better.  Since time moves slower (or at least feels like it does), we can actually get more done during the day – because the distractions are less, unless, of course, you also have kids at home who are engaging in remote learning.

There is a wonderful phrase that has been used a lot during this pandemic that can be applied to networking at home.  Be patient, be kind, and be safe. If we all follow these rules, we can move forward into a better society. After all, everyone is connected, and we should cherish and protect these connections.

There were a lot of reasons to write a blog for LSW Lighting.  It’s a good business practice. There are lots of other reasons that will fit into that category. However, my reason for writing this blog had nothing to do with business. It aligns with my curiosity practice.  Let me explain what curiosity practice can be.

Practicing curiosity is a simple concept. It’s the act of wanting to learn something new. Life would be boring if we didn’t incorporate new ideas or activities into our lives. So we become curious. I practice this every day. It led me to agree to write this blog. I often wonder if others have a similar process (interested). So, I asked some friends how they approach curiosity – and together, we came up with this.

How do you know you are feeling curious?

Curiosity causes physical symptoms. It’s pretty easy to know when you have caught the bug.

• The chatter inside your head is so loud that you can’t ignore it. Listen to what those voices are saying. You aren’t crazy, but rather, somewhat interested in learning something new.
• You start talking about the same thing over and over again with different people. Please pay attention to this; it lets you know that you are passionate and ready to start a new hobby.
• You find yourself smiling at an idea, sound, smell, taste or other sense. Your heart rate accelerates, and your hands get warm. Be excited!

Track your curiosity.

• Keep a diary.
• Start a curiosity journal.  I use a separate one to use for all networking events that I find inspiring.
• Draw.  If writing isn’t your thing, sketch out the meetings/events.  Make a note of exciting happenings.

Check into your creativity.

• Look at the trends of your thoughts. Are they repeating? A variation on a theme?  Random with no connections?
• Are there topics that you are writing about frequently?
• Ask yourself, what gets you excited, annoyed, interested?
• What makes you want to ask questions or get to know someone or something better?

Let’s be honest.

• Pretend you are three years old. Those creatures question everything.  Take a page from their book.  Ask why. Do not accept “because” for an answer.
• Why you are always thinking about a particular subject, dig deeper within yourself.
• Do not judge your curiosity. Explore without judgement. Curiosities are neutral.

Get Ready -Ask yourself.

• How are you spending your free time?
• What were your favourite activities as a child?
• Is there something that gets you so excited that you can’t stop talking about it?
• Do you want to solve problems? What kind?
• If you are currently unaware of your passion(s), ask your friends, family and colleagues what they think your desires are.  Their answers will most likely surprise you.

The Practice – All the ways you can bring curiosity into your life

• Take an impromptu walk in your city or a new city when we can travel again.  Get lost. Bring kids or a pet with you, and pay attention to what they see, touch, hear, find.  There is an excellent book on this subject called Flâneuse – Women walk the city in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London.
• Take some time to observe a new space and the happenings there.
• Live – curiosity happens organically.
• Read. Read a lot.  Ask for book or article recommendations. Read books by authors of a different gender, race, generation, and culture than yourself.
• Open closed doors. There is a difference between closed and locked.
• Choose a topic, and learn as much as you can. Go down the rabbit hole.  Take someone with you.
• Ask all the questions. And then ask the questions to different people. Different perspectives will generate different kinds of problems. (and solutions)
• Take a walk, dance, or yoga break. Do anything that will make you move and clear your mind.
• Start a stream of consciousness journaling practice (aka morning pages). Writing three pages every morning before answering email, reading the news, or engaging in conversation, will bring great personal insight, which is a great way to learn about yourself and your desires.
• Teach
• Engage in a dialogue with your inner child. Listen to what they have to say; they will tell you what they need. Do an activity that they love to do.  When my inner child is happy, we twirl together.
• Attend creative or discussion-based events (there are loads to choose from online).
• Make art.
• Create space for what you want in life.
• Reserve judgement when you come across a topic of interest. Resistance means there is something new to learn.
• Listen to podcasts.
• Purchase a membership to a museum or an art gallery.
• Set aside the time to practice being curious.

*This post was written while listening to the Curiosity Cabinet playlist on Spotify. A playlist that I found by accident.

About this time every year, I contemplate a move to the middle of a forest.  Not just because I like nature, but because I dislike harsh residential street lighting.  In the summer it’s not so bad.  The lights go on after the sun has already gone down, and the lights don’t seem so bright.  But now that the nights are long, dark and cold, these monsters are on all the time, and they are ruining my life.  And not just the lives of my fellow light-sensitive humans, but they can wreak havoc with bats, nocturnal birds,  insects, and other wildlife.

We can be accommodating creatures, we understand the need for public safety, and of course, we want an energy-efficient light source; the environment, after all, is a great concern to all of us.  But it can affect lives and migratory patterns, and it’s creating a health crisis. Besides ruining our sleep, it can also contribute to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, preventing us from seeing and admiring the night sky.

So what can we do about this?

Cities can do the following: create lighting curfews, put limits on emissions (especially on blue light), demand a reduction of glare for outdoor fixtures, and institute a ban on lasers, sky beams, and lit waterways.

As responsible citizens, we can do the following:

If the street lights interfere with your quality of life, you can call your city’s engineering department. Register a complaint with them, and ask them to put a house shield on the offending fixture. This may require several calls.  We can start turning off our exterior house lights when not in use. These lights create more light pollution than you would think. So we can turn them off and help nature restore itself. If exterior lighting is necessary, use a full cut-off fixture that eliminates uplight. By reducing the amount of light pollution, animals can start to return to their normal and instinctive behaviours, and our skies can start to clear.

This brings me to the benefits of stargazing.

• When we observe the night sky, we become part of something greater than ourselves. It allows us to connect something awesome and awe-inspiring.
• The night sky is ever-changing and can remind us that change is possible.
• It can connect us to our ancestors and history.
• Stargazing allows us to explore, fantasize, question, and search for knowledge.  The answers that can come to us while stargazing are often surprising.
• It alleviates stress.  We breathe deeper and more consistently; it brings a presence to our lives and allows us to disconnect from the busyness that rules our day.
• We connect to nature, which is important considering the Earth’s population stays inside more often due to the pandemic. Just 15 minutes of sitting in nature can help us to feel mentally and emotionally recharged.
• It gives you a feeling of solitude.  Remember, solitude is not loneliness, and it’s actually something that we as humans need (and sometimes crave).
• We get a different perspective.  We all need to shift our lens occasionally.
• And with a new perspective, creativity can spark.  Pick up a camera, start taking photos, create stories about the images you see, learn about the mythological creatures that inhabit the sky, and learn about the moon cycles, astrology, astronomy, or the tides.  It’s all connected.
• Connect with ourselves.  We are as much a part of the stars as they are a part of us.

This is all great.  An opportunity to connect and be mindful.  But is it really that easy? Yes, it can be.  You can sit in your backyard or balcony and lookup. You may or may not need extra viewing equipment.  However, if you cannot see stars because of pollution, you can visit a national park or observatory. And when you are there, it might be beneficial to share a photo of what you can see on social media.  And to ensure that future generations have an opportunity to have a dark sky to look at, you can support programs that protect public lands. For more information on how you can support the Dark Sky movement, and enjoy our night sky, visit the International Dark-Sky Association.

Go outside, look up, revel in the beauty of the night sky.

Dress appropriately (and bring along some hot chocolate).