During this pandemic, we have needed to practice social distancing and isolation from our friends and family. Today we have so many ways to keep us all connected through the utilization of social apps like Facebook and Zoom. People have  been using this technology in creative ways to celebrate milestones, like birthdays, weddings, and graduations.

I personally had to use it creatively to celebrate my best friend’s big 30th birthday. I got in contact with a lot of his friends from far and wide and made a birthday video for him to open up while being stuck inside on his birthday. I wanted him to be able to open something for his birthday, even with this pandemic going on. If it were not for technology, I wouldn’t have been able to contact all these people to help me make this video possible.

Many people are also using this technology to have fun with friends by having game nights and virtual happy hours. Since this pandemic I have talked to some of my friends more than I would have face to face. It has helped me connect with them in a time that I cannot be with them in person.  It brings me so much comfort in a time like this and it helps so much mentally. I find this form of communication has strengthened my friendships and has helped me gain some new ones along the way.

Because of this, I am grateful for technology.

My hope for when this is all over and we get back to our new normal, when all this is said and done, that we actually take the time to come up with creative ways to continue to connect with each other in real life. Not constantly being on our phones while we are with someone would be a healthy start. While technology has fostered a lot of positives, it still doesn’t always carry the same affect of being together in person. Face to face connection can’t be beat and that is something we are all craving right now like never before. This pandemic has helped me gain a new appreciation for being in the here and now with those I love. 

When we look back at this time, I truly hope that we will be so grateful for the technology that helped us get through this. More importantly, I hope that true, in-person connection will be something we appreciate more after having gone without it for so long. We need to be thankful for the technology we have been given, but not take it for granted as we did before this.

I believe when we look back, the connections we were able to maintain and grow through technology will be one of the greatest takeaways from this pandemic. Not just the bonding it helped create with existing relationships we have in our lives, but new relationships with people we may not have had the opportunity to connect with and grow from.

Never underestimate the importance of the impact true connection can have on any of us. We learn more about ourselves because of deepened connection, and being in a time of technology helped to ensure we didn’t miss that opportunity during a worldwide pandemic, and for that…I am grateful.