In Praise of Zoom

and FaceTime, and Google Meet, and WhatsApp video, etc. 

Judy. I've heard a lot in the past few weeks about Zoom fatigue. I guess I understand where that's coming from--so many have to attend Zoom meetings for work, and, of course, many teachers and kids have to deal with it every day. Our daughter Leslie teaches guitar in high school via Zoom. How she does that I don't know, but it seems to work. Our 8-year old grandson Caed attends second grade in the same way, and it's tough on him. In fact, he spends most afternoons at our house rather than his so that he's not distracted by his dog, or Legos, or the refrigerator.

 For me, though, it's a lifesaver. Now that we're coming close to a year of social distancing, it's wearing on me not to see my friends or even family. The technology has become precious to me. Our son Stefan's little boys, Oliver and Callum, attend school, so, as older adults, we're not comfortable hugging them or staying at their house, and virtual visits keep our spirits and hopes up. 

I attend a Zoom Bible Study from Hawaii every Monday afternoon, and a live yoga class on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. The discussions with my Hawaiian (and Floridian and North Carolinian) friends is a joy, and Pat can correct my moves in the yoga class, unlike the YouTube classes.  A couple of weeks ago we had a high school reunion, our third this year, via Zoom, and folks from all over the country could attend.

In the last few weeks, though, friends from all over the world have been checking in. We've had cocktails with Chuck and Frieda in Georgia, and with Margo and Rod in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  We caught up with Mikaela in Stockholm and discussed cooking during the pandemic with Ben in Prague. And we had a great visit with our nephew Chris and his wife Dilyana, as well as with their boys Nicky and Michael who live in Frankfurt. Sam, a delightful woman I befriended in Marrakesh, periodically video calls me on WhatsApp, and my niece Becky in Baltimore often calls when she sees I'm on Facebook.

After the election, a group of my former students invited me to join them in a Zoom call--first time we've all gotten together since the '90's--and we reveled in how much we have to discuss, and how much we enjoyed our talk. They constantly inspire me.

Two of my friends from high school have remained a part of my life, and, while I've spoken over the year with each individually, we got the idea to have a Zoom gathering, which we now do on alternate Fridays. It's a time I look forward to and relish.

In less than a week, Ted and I are scheduled to get our first of the two covid vaccine shots. We eagerly began planning travel again, only to find that, at least for now, many European countries are still closed to us, and those that aren't have closed cafes, restaurants, museums, and all the things we enjoy doing. I admit it, it was a bit of a blow. Of course, things can change by the time we get our second dose in March. We hope so. Meanwhile, at least we can visit with our friends.