Hearts, chalk messages spread hope around the city

From homemade hearts to Easter decorations, painted windows and friendly sidewalk chalk messages, neighbours are finding new ways to lift peoples’ spirits on walks.

With playgrounds and sports sites closed, walks, bike rides or runs in the fresh air are some of the few options still considered to be safe for people to get out of the house. While slides and swings are off limits, some families with young kids are trying social distance scavenger hunts.

Heather Getz was inspired to start the YQR Hearts Facebook page when she noticed a similar one out of Prince George, B.C. The community page encourages people to make heart crafts and post them in their windows.

“It’s a way to be able to connect with people when you go walking in your own neighbourhood trying to stay physically apart from one another but still be socially connected,” she said.

In a phone interview from her home, Getz said it works to keep kids occupied in two ways, first by making a heart craft to display and then by giving them something to look for as they walk around the neighbourhood.

“I think it’s really human to want to be connected to each other and that’s really showing with everything that’s happening across Canada and across the world and we’ve seen that in other tragedies,” Getz said.

“This is a scary time and it’s a scary thing, and I think if you can keep your kids feeling like there’s something normal and there’s something happy, I think that’s really important.”

Getz said the response to the local YQR Hearts page has been wonderful, with many people sharing photos of their hearts in windows or other hearts they have seen on walks or drives.

“One person made a little video for a grandma they can’t go visit right now in a seniors’ home and her kids made hearts and put it into a video and we posted that on the page too,” Getz said.

The hearts project is one of many similar trends popping up in communities around North America ranging from Easter decorations or teddy bears to window paintings, creative yard displays and ‘chalk your walk’ messages.

While her own kids are grown up, Getz was surprised to discover how much the hearts and other signs of hope lift her own spirits when she goes out for a walk.

“It’s important for us as adults too to just try and keep some normalcy and to feel like there’s a lot of love and a lot of good in the world,” Getz said.

She personally takes comfort in all of the simple and symbolic initiatives trending around the world like photography on doorsteps, hearts and sharing positive messages.

“I think there’s something really human about that where we do all crave connection and we crave hope and we always want to believe in something good,” she said.

Taking time to notice friendly signs and messages of hope might just make smiles contagious in the neighbourhood.