Last Friday I was supposed to meet my four sisters in Ottawa. From there we would travel by train to Quebec City and spend the week together having fun playing tourist, as we have done every year in a different locale since 2004.
So much for travel plans – or any plans. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. We had a virtual dinner date instead.
Was it as good as being together in Quebec for a week? Definitely not. Was it a ton of fun? Absolutely.
Meeting platforms like Zoom and social media are currently saving our butts in business, families and social circles.
But this dinner event wasn’t any old meeting. Our time together was wonderful because we shared the intention to make it so.
Despite being out of practice, we got all dressed up. There were flowers, candles and wine. A spontaneous show and tell occurred. And while we dined we talked travel, politics, the virus and lots of rubbish. In fact we talked about some things more than once, just like we would have in real time.
Like me, you might be doing online yoga or fitness classes, work meetings or social gatherings. Is it as good as the live version? Probably not. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely.
Even though there is nothing normal about what we’re expected to do these days, maintaining every contact and shred of normalcy and routine possible is important right now – even when it’s not the same.
Back to intentions, it might be helpful to set intentions for how you want to be during this time. An intention is different than a goal that has a beginning and an end in the future. An intention comes from a place of presence and it’s less concrete.
For example:
“How do I want to be during team meetings?”
“How do I want to feel while I exercise?”
“What kind of home-schooling do I want for my child?” (A big tip of the hat to those of you in that role.)
To get us through this pandemic maybe we would be best served to set fewer goals and set more intentions. It’s a subtle shift.
Life is clearly not the same as before. I, for one, will continue to connect online. And if I feel the urge for dinner out maybe I’ll invite a friend and get dressed up. It works. And it’s still the safest way to reach out beyond these four walls. We’re social creatures and we’re meant to connect. Let’s keep doing it however we can.