There are plenty of sayings to inspire us in these trying times:

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Or, alternatively, “When life gives you lemons, take out the salt and the shot glasses and fill them up with tequila.”

So how do you share your lemonade or your lemon-based cocktails while still practicing coronavirus-related social distancing?

It takes some resourcefulness, but people are finding ways to connect with their communities and still stay 6 feet apart.

Here are a few ideas that could help.

(And let’s remember to be grateful that this is going down in the spring, when we have the advantages of warmer weather and more daylight, and not in the depths of winter.)

First things first

Consider a way to check in on neighbors who might have special needs at this time, such as the “neighborhood quarantine response teams” people in Baltimore have formed. The Nextdoor app is one vehicle for connecting with those around you.

Is there an elderly or immunocompromised neighbor who needs a phone check-in or could use a hand with shopping, dog walking or other tasks?

Let your light shine

Becky Hess of Lower Burrell saw a segment on ABC’s “Live With Kelly and Ryan” about people across the country putting their Christmas lights back up to spread some much-needed cheer.

“I texted my neighbor who does a huge display like the Griswolds (in ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’),” she said. “At 5 o’clock he called me and said, ‘Step outside.’ The whole front of his house was lit up. Then I saw the neighbor across the street putting up a Christmas tree.”

Hess then organized a March 24 “sit, sip and social distance” event for neighbors to “sit outside, admire the lights and yell at each other.”

Dr. Tom Nickelson strung 10,000 pink, purple, yellow and white Easter lights on a tree in front of his house on the border of East Huntingdon and Scottdale, a practice he and his wife Bev have followed for 15 years.

Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review Tom Nickelson puts up a string of lights on March 24 as part of his usual Easter decorations in his Scottdale yard. Nickelson says this year’s display also is meant to give people hope through the coronavirus shutdowns.  

This year, he said, the lights signify not just the holiday but also hope for people struggling as the coronavirus pandemic goes on.

As another old saying goes, it’s better to light a single candle (or string of Christmas lights) than to curse the darkness.

Harmonize

First, videos of Italian citizens singing from their balconies went viral. Other people around the world joined in. Invite your neighbors outside for an impromptu “We Are the World”-style singing session.

Remember those songs in the round that you sang at summer camp? That’s an easy way to get started. Even if you haven’t thought of them in years, we bet you still remember the words to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Frère Jacques.”

Share a talent

Do you have a musician, dancer or other performer in your neighborhood? Is there a Zumba enthusiast, Pilates practitioner or fitness coach?

Are they willing to share their expertise? Gather on your lawns or another open space for a group lesson.

Pitch in

Have a neighborhood cleanup day. Early spring is the perfect time for picking up litter and yard debris, raking, sweeping and getting a jump on weeds before they can sink their roots.

Child’s play

Did your mom shoo you out of the house on nice days and tell you not to come back until lunchtime or dinner? Granted, life hasn’t been done that way for a while — but now is the perfect time for kids to rediscover the simple joys of outdoor games.

There are plenty that can be played without touching — although an adult probably will need to enforce that rule. Soccer is a no-brainer, or try badminton, croquet, hopscotch or make up a no-hands form of kickball.

Blow some bubbles — whose is biggest or floats the farthest before popping?

AP File Keep kids busy with old-fashioned outdoor games, like some simple soap bubble fun.  

On a sunny day, play shadow tag — step on someone’s shadow and they’re it.

Do a freeze dance. Anyone who moves when the music stops is out.

Who has the best aim? Set up a water gun target range.

Sidewalk safari

There are tons of activities available online based on Michael Rosen’s children’s book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” Lately, folks around the country have been putting teddy bears in their windows for kids to spy while they’re out walking with their families. Ask your neighbors to join in.

Southwest Greensburg is already on the hunt.

If you aren’t into teddy bears, organize a virtual scavenger hunt by texting a list of things to be found nearby to your neighbors. Maybe hide a little prize in the bushes. Share photos of your finds.

Look to the skies

A partly cloudy day is a great time to use your imagination. Does that cloud look like a bear or a dog? A moose or a mouse?

Is there an amateur astronomer in the neighborhood? Take advantage of a clear, starry night to learn about the moon and the stars and other celestial wonders visible to the naked eye. (It may be best not to share a telescope right now.)

Share your bounty

Tiny food pantries have been popping up on porches around the country, and many communities also sponsor them.

For example, Greensburg has three, courtesy of the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department — in the South Pennsylvania Avenue parklet, near the St. Clair Park amphitheater and in the pavilion near the fire department training tower at Lynch Field.

Downtown Greensburg Project founder Jessica Hickey said the pantries were emptied overnight after a recent stocking.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review Help keep your community fed by donating to food banks. Shown is a food box in the South Pennsylvania Avenue parklet in Greensburg.  

“Obviously, they’re being used a lot,” she said. “Everyone is hurting right now.”

Hickey said ready-to-eat foods are best — items in pull-top cans, fruit and applesauce cups, granola bars, mixed nuts, toaster pastries and the like. There’s also a need for paper products and personal and feminine hygiene items.

Find a list at downtowngreensburgprojectpa.us. Hickey notes that foods requiring cooking, like dried beans and rice, are not needed, as pantry users may not have the means to prepare them.

Food for the mind

When you’re out walking, don’t forget the tiny libraries around town. With libraries and bookstores shut down, those bedside book stashes are dwindling. Do your neighbors have a book or two they could contribute? Plan a mini book drive.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review Pass the books you’ve read on to your neighbors via a neighborhood tiny library, like the Little Free Library at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg.  

Unwind

There, that should keep your family and friends busy for a day or two. Now get out there and enjoy shouting at your neighbors during one of those social-distancing happy hours.

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