Leftwing Idiot’s good friend Si had symptoms of COVID-19 and started self-isolating over a week before the lockdown began. It was touch and go for a while, but he seems much better now.

A lot changed while he was staying in and it was interesting hearing his observations from his first trip out. Beyond the obvious long queues outside the supermarket and the post office, he was struck by how people were avoiding eye contact with each other.

London doesn’t have the best reputation for friendliness at the best of times. I haven’t been outside, beyond the garden, for seven weeks now, but I really do hope that people will make a point of acknowledging each other and smiling at strangers and friends alike, as much as they possibly can.

While there are very clear governmental failings around how this pandemic’s being handled, we should all remember that it’s not anyone’s fault, and certainly not of the people you might pass on the street.

Here are some tics that make me smile, I hope they do the same for you:

[Insert some funny tics]

“Happy smiling at your toenails afternoon.”
“Lean into the smile, it’s stronger than it looks.”
“Smile at your inner underwear model.”
“On your marks, get set, smile and smoulder.”
“Smile like a cat with an erection.”