DEAR HARRIETTE: Tongue Tied wrote to you about how to reach out to a neighbor during the COVID-19 outbreak. She wanted to tell him that she liked him a lot and thought it could be a good time to say something to him. Your advice was to invite him over for dinner and to talk, but not to disclose how much she liked him. While I agree that the conversation should not begin with her disclosure of how much she liked him, the dinner invitation is completely contrary to public health advice. Would you consider an amendment in your next column? -- Protect Yourself
DEAR PROTECT YOURSELF: Good catch! Even when I am working to be conscious of our new reality, I made a major faux pas. My apologies. Perhaps Tongue Tied can invite him for a virtual drink or dinner. She might even make a drink or dish that she can offer him -- takeout -- and then the two of them can use videoconferencing to consume whatever the goody is while talking. For sure, they should limit their exposure to each other. If they decide to share a dish or drink, they can organize it the way that delivery services do by leaving the package outside their door so that they maintain complete social distancing.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)