Remaining Connected

#1

I don’t post this to downplay the seriousness of COVID19 nor to disparage anyone who is validly anxious about their own or others’ health. Like you, I am keenly aware of how serious this is. Rather, I post it to remind myself what is important (as I sit in my home office anticipating some family time starting around 12:30) … via CS Lewis in reaction to the atomic bomb (shared by a dear friend earlier this morning):

“This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”

While I still advocate PHYSICAL distancing (and thus do not recommend actually getting in physical locations together “for a game of darts”), the wonders of technology allow us to remain SOCIALLY CONNECTED - to connect with others like never before.

Some are unable to use fancy technology, and I would argue that there is nothing better than receiving a handwritten note suggesting someone has been thinking of you (or a phone call to do the same). Instead of turning on the TV, to whom could you send a personal note of appreciation, gratitude, etc?

What other ideas for connecting do people have?

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#2

This is an excellent point, gbodie, and I’ve been sharing this article with everyone I can. We need to practice physical distancing while remaining socially connected.

I’m in Silicon Valley, so there’s been a lot of activity on NextDoor and in a new Slack group set up for our community. I’m also a crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line. We’ve seen a doubling of traffic in the past couple of weeks, but thankfully since the volunteers are remote, we’ve actually been handling the increased traffic. CTL has a page of resources, and some of those might be relevant.

There’s also 7 Cups as an online forum to talk to someone trained in empathetic listening skills.

Some people are putting holiday lights back up, and setting up bears in their windows to allow kids to go on “bear hunts” on their walks around the neighborhood.

Also, if you have young kids, this book is a really great way to help them understand what’s going on.

Cheers,
·Dave

#3

These are great resources, Dave!! Thank you for connecting and contributing!!!

#4

Well… I come from a family of “social distancers”- from our mother, now deceased. We laugh about it now, as if we’re ahead of the game.
So, with the virus upon us, we (our family), though always in touch easily via txt messaging, we are now in touch as if “no one is working/has a job.” These days have become fun with oddities. On any random day, someone will just come in with an idea to share, be in touch, and have fun, while txing. For example, we did a picture category share of candid snaps of family caught sleeping. We did a memory send of “dad” pics (he’s deceased). We had a riddle share- any riddle and lots of guessing, lots of wrongs and hilarious.

Just a few ideas of shared time during these social distancing days; but we’re prepared.