I don’t know that I’ll ever view the phrase keep in touch in quite the same way after our collective social distancing experience.
Touch is not allowed or advised. But we can still keep in touch in other ways—for which I am very grateful.
I’m thankful for technology and for living in an area with strong, reliable internet service. I’m thankful for the ability to call people for a reasonable cost. (Remember the days of long distance charges, anyone?) We can even video chat with family and friends, teach and mentor across our device screens, and problem solve with coworkers and community leaders with web-based video conferencing. (We can even mute people, which is not a possibility when face to face. And the ability to wear comfy pajama bottoms? Yes, please. Just don’t forget and stand up to grab a water refill like I did on Skype years ago.)
I wrote notes to a few friends over the weekend. I had received several boxes of notecards from family and friends at Christmas and had just ordered some fun uplifting postcards, so I was well prepared. But it’s even fun to send a birthday card when it’s not a birthday, or just use a piece of paper and blank envelope. No special materials are required.
We can visit people in the open with safe distances. I stood in a friend’s yard while she sat on her porch. My mom pulled sideways into a friend’s driveway and stayed in her vehicle while the friend sat a safe distance in her garage.
So, keep in touch today. You can relationally touch a lot of people in a day without physically touching anyone.
Trying. Facebook has been my primary way of reaching out to folks, but when I am at work the WiFi does not function very well and I am limited in what I can see on my feed. Almost jealous of those getting to stay home. My days are just as busy as ever. Days off are housecleaning that doesn’t get done when I am working. Very little “downtime”. I truly do want to “keep in touch “ but with things the way they are right now, I am feeling overwhelmed as people ply me with questions. “When do you think we can start getting together again?” I quite frankly think it is way too soon to even guess at that. And I have a very strong feeling that activities will limited for a lot longer than the general public thinks. Which will not fly well with a lot of folks I know.
Yes. Do what you need to and can do. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Make sure you are finding a few moments to rest (not just sleep). It is all overwhelming in so many different ways to various people. The emotional toll is awful. Hugs to you, my friend.