I never thought I’d say I attended a 72-hour Zoom meeting, but that’s how my family did Thanksgiving — and it was surprisingly fun! We all just left our Zoom windows open on our computers and then puttered around doing what we’d normally do — in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, and Maryland. We chatted while we baked and cooked (muting the microphones when we had to turn on the Kitchen Aid mixer). We left Zoom running while we went out and ran errands. Kids watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while we watched them watch it. We even figured out how to watch a movie together!
Are we going to do it that way after the pandemic is over? Probably not — of course getting together in person is more fun! But now we have a tool in our toolbox for including absent family members in the future. I’ll be having a Zoom birthday call with my family soon, which is a special treat, since I don’t usually get to see them at all on my birthday. And we’ll figure out something for Christmas, too, likely opening gifts on video (just like my childhood, where my dad would be holding the camcorder throughout Christmas morning, from when we came down the stairs in our pajamas all the way through the gift opening).
Even as we long for things to return to “normal,” we are learning things during the covid times that will adjust how we do things in the future. It will be a “new normal.” And, perhaps, a more inclusive, kinder normal.
If you’d like to explore the topic of “kindness,” I’ll invite you to read the December Touchstones journal, which is attached to this email. We’ll be having a gently-guided discussion on the subject next week Tuesday, December 22nd, at both noon and 6pm. All are welcome, no RSVP needed.
12/22 Uncapped Conversation NOON (Kindness)
Time: Dec 22, 2020 12:00 PM CT
https://zoom.us/j/99319464766?
Meeting ID: 993 1946 4766
Passcode: HumanKind
12/22 Uncapped Conversation 6PM (Kindness)
Time: Dec 22, 2020 06:00 PM CT
https://zoom.us/j/96065560134?
Meeting ID: 960 6556 0134
Passcode: BeKind