These are interesting times, to say the least, self-isolation brings “new ways” for us to socialize. I’ve experienced virtual coffee mornings with the girls, also happy hour, a holiday dinner and a workout, (which I tried today for the first time) not to mention, a family dinner. Connecting with my family “face to face” during normal times isn’t always easy, attempting this during a pandemic just sounds crazy weird. That said, we’re conscious of social distancing and keeping to a strict amount of people whom we see regularly. So when we decided to have a family dinner (it’s been a while), we turned to technology. With both my sons, (one in Montreal) their dad and myself, here in Vancouver, Facetime became our new family gathering place. It wasn’t a special occasion, nor was there something important to discuss, sometimes you just need to connect as a family during times of uncertainty.

We positioned the laptop (with my son) on the kitchen counter, while the three of us busied ourselves chatting and making dinner, surely for him, we resembled some sort of reality tv show. It took only a few minutes before all of us got in the groove of our virtual visit, not unlike a movie with subtitles, odd at first, but you eventually get the hang of it.

There were a lot of funny stories and updates regarding school, jobs, and “what have you been cooking?” including some recipe suggestions. The family banter didn’t take long, a couple glasses of wine were shared and “cheers” to each other while we negotiate difficult times, wishing this pandemic would end soon. At the stroke of 7pm, we proceeded outside (whisking the laptop with my son) to the deck, where we could hear cheering and clapping to salute our healthcare workers tackling covid19 at the frontlines.  It was fun to include this new phenomenon with my son in Montreal, who knew nothing about it, explaining to him “this happens every evening!” Fun!

With the current situation, one needs to adapt to change, how we social distance ourselves, keeping 2 meters away from one another is a huge part of how we kick this virus. As we manoeuvre our “new ways” during this pandemic, it’s good to know that our friends and family are literally only a computer screen away. Little did I know my laptop would be my lifeline to the outside world. At the moment, this is how we connect and “social distance” ourselves. It’s not forever, but it will undoubtedly change how we connect with each other going forward. Have fun with this, dress up, bring out the “good” china and enjoy a “new way” of social distancing.

LC

xo