This Holiday Season, Community is a Click Away
Hi folks,
For those who are reading Wayside - a serial novel for the Covid Conscious community, I just published Episode 19: Next of Kin. This one is a blast into the past that will answer some important questions about Ben, the protagonist of the story.
I'm excited to share this short essay below with you. It's a trip down memory lane into some of the warmest, funniest, most delightful moments we shared over Zoom meetings during the early days of the pandemic.
It's also a reminder we've still got the technology to gather virtually, and safely build community across the miles. I'm on a mission to make it easier for all of us to do just that this holiday season. Details below!
GP
2020 was one of the best years of my life. I’m weird and I know it.
Most people I know talk about 2020 like it was some kind of dystopian hellscape. They remember it as the year when they couldn’t go to restaurants, weddings were canceled, vacations were postponed. They recall the transition to remote work and school as painful. They speak of their time spent at home as if it were solitary confinement in a prison.
I know that year was hard on everyone in some way or other, so I don’t want to minimize the struggles and suffering people endured.
I’m simply saying I remember 2020 differently.
For me, I remember it as the year when the world slowed down and everyone stayed home, or at least close to home. We prioritized the needs of community over self. We took these actions to avoid and minimize the harm of a deadly virus that thrived on face-to-face social interaction.
We didn’t stop socializing, as some people insist.
We adapted.
That year, I wore out my Zoom account catching up with old friends around the world. I hosted game nights for pals, happy hours with colleagues, standup comedy shows, a birthday party for my spouse, and a memorial service for a friend. I emceed a fundraiser event for a local nonprofit. I attended virtual concerts and participated in songwriting sessions. I took classes and received a certification, entirely online. I read storybooks to my niece and nephew at bedtime. I visited family on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
I was more connected to friends, family, and colleagues than I’d ever been before. I was even building new friendships and connections with people I met in virtual settings.
For a while, it felt like this was our new normal and I loved it.
But as the world shrugged its shoulders and decided a premature return to normal was the best course of action, everyone developed an aversion to all things associated the pandemic. The word ‘Covid.’ The sight of masks.
And sadly, virtual gatherings. All the people I used to connect with in 2020 have jumped on the back-to-normal train so hard, they abandoned all willingness to meet remotely.
Damn if they didn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
While many of us in the Covid Conscious community are already isolated in our day-to-day lives, the holidays have a way of kicking you in the teeth even harder. So with the help of some friends, I’m on a mission to bring it back virtual hangouts this holiday season.
This month and next, you’re invited to the 12 Days of Covid Consciousmas – a series of free virtual events designed to bring Covid Conscious folks together for the holidays for celebration, connection, and community. Events will begin Thanksgiving Day (U.S.) and will continue through end of the year. More details and a list of confirmed events are posted here; more are forthcoming.
In the meantime, here are some links to videos from 2020 which showed us all that with a little creativity and willingness to adapt, we can enjoy novel experiences and make meaningful connections in virtual venues. Hope these put a smile on your face and get you thinking about the possibilities in store for bringing folks together.
These most embarrassing zoom moments of 2020 remind us of some of the challenges we faced in bringing work into our home lives, and how they brought comic relief on days when we needed it the most.
We all recall the growing pains that schools encountered while shifting to virtual education. When frustration ran high, this clever group of high school students conspired to bring smiles to their teacher with their ‘pass the pencil’ stunt. An honorable mention goes to the farting elementary school teacher, for the way she cut through the tension to bring laughter to her entire class.
And who could forget lawyer cat? “I’m here, your honor. I’m not a cat,” he insists, but the jury is still out on the matter. We’ll never know how it all went down after the first few minutes of the court case, probably because lawyer cat pushed his computer off the table once trial started.
Live music translated to virtual performances far better than we ever expected, even when the artists were in different places. Jason Winde, Oliver Amos, David Derman covered the song ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ from their homes early in 2020. Their Zoom version is a masterpiece. Listen when you need a dopamine snack. It’s that good.
Judah Friedlander showed us that livestream standup shows can be even more fun than in-person events. Sign up for his mailing list to get notified of future shows over Zoom. In the meantime, enjoy this clip of his reflections on scientific advancements in America.
Work and academic teams also found new ways to have fun across distances. When Emma Toole of NUTV News found herself bored at home one day, she sent her colleagues on a scavenger hunt in their homes. The results were heartwarming and hilarious.
Businesses that thrived on tourism closed their doors, but put up cameras and allowed people from around the globe to enjoy virtual visits. Whether you longed for a day at the Houston Zoo or a ride on The Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyworld, all you needed was an internet-connected device to be whisked away on countless adventures from the comfort of your home.
Last but not least, the late-night shows many of us tune into at bedtime stepped out of the studio and into Zoom each night to connect with their audiences. In this clip from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Obama surprises and delights attendees of focus groups and meetings by dropping in unannounced.
We’ve still got the technology to make this kind of magic happen.
Community is just a click away.
Hope to see you during the 12 Days of Covid Consciousmas!
In good humor and solidarity,
Guiness Pig
You can support my work by signing up for a membership to The Guiness Pig Diaries, sending me a tip, or buying me a coffee. You can also grab a Wayside Ninjas tee from my shop on Bonfire.