Staying Connected

Pandemic life

Connection is tough for most of us right now

Life, for most creatures, including humans, is largely about connection. We’re wired for it and don’t tend to do well without it. And right now, with a worldwide pandemic going on, it’s harder than ever to maintain those connections.

A quick Google search on the subject turns up 374,000,000 results. A lot of people are concerned about it! No one is unaffected. And that’s why I wanted to write about connection today.

There isn’t just one answer

I don’t have “the” answer. I doubt it exists. But I want to share what I’m doing to stay connected, as best I can, and to ask you to share as well, in the comments.

I think most of us are largely staying connected via the internet. Email. Social Media, Facetime, Zoom, or something similar. All those things are great, but they just don’t cut it like the real thing.

My bestie and I recently shared a glass of wine over Facetime. We’re trying to make our schedules work out for another visit. (Note to self: buy wine!) It’s far better than not seeing one another, but nowhere near as fun as sitting around a campfire at her trailer.

In B.C. the government is allowing us to open up our “social bubbles” a bit. My husband and I have been reluctant to do that, especially since cases have been on the rise here again. Our oldest son and his partner live with someone who works at Starbucks. He’s wisely choosing to see us in a safe manner, which I’ll go into in a bit. Our second oldest son is traveling for work and my older grandson is in daycare. These create more exposures than we feel safe with. So, again, Facetime.

So how can we manage non-virtual connection

We’re very lucky to have our youngest son and daughter living in our downstairs apartment. When we were all interacting more actively with the outside world, we honestly didn’t make a huge effort to spend time together. It was more casual. Since lock down, we make a point of eating dinner together at least five nights a week and they visit upstairs with us for a while after. They are our social bubble.

Distanced visits are great! For my birthday, my oldest son and his partner joined us at a park. We sat distant from one another and all had masks, just in case. We even had a cake! We used paper plates and plastic spoons, and I wore a mask and gloves to cut it. We each picked up our piece, masked, and retreated with it. We’ve had a number of distanced visits and they’ve been fun. What I miss, though, is the ability to hug my family.

I had a socially distanced visit with a friend from my book club a while back as well. We got together in my large backyard, each with our own drinks and chairs. We must have been 10 feet apart, but it was great to see her in person and talk face to face. We’re also planning a repeat when I get a moment to breathe!

All these things are great, but physical connection matters too. I’m lucky to have my husband and two of my kids at home. But I also have my dog (and, in the picture above, my husband’s dog too, on my legs). Jace is a very affectionate boy and he requests cuddles multiple times a day. It’s amazing how the warmth of his little body snuggled against me provides the connection I need.

I recognize, though, that many people live alone and may not have pets. How do you manage to connect non-virtually, if at all? Do you have a social bubble that you can interact with? How are you weathering this pandemic that seems to have no end in sight?

I’d like to hear from readers about your own connections during the pandemic. Maybe we can all learn from one another.

Until next time, Jace sends you cuddles. I know they’re only virtual, but he means them with all his little doggie heart.

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Before you go, a couple of my friends are here on Substack as well. Both of them are also writing both fiction and nonfiction. You might want to check out M.V. Duhr at https://mvduhr.substack.com/ and Jim Latham at https://jimlatham.substack.com/. Jim writes about his dog too!