Just the other day, I was in need of a tool. I was trying to fix a broken device, a 3DS, at home, and I discovered I didn't have the right-sized screwdriver. As it was only one thing I needed, I sought to borrow one from a friend instead of buying it, saving money and time from queuing at a long line at a cashier.
I excitedly hit up my friends in my area. Luckily enough, I had one friend who had what I needed, and they were at home! With their approval, I hurriedly got out of my pajamas, put on some nice clothes, got in my car, and drove. I wasn't sure if I was overly excited because I could fix my device on the same day, or I was about to see an old friend in person, which was my first time in a long while since the pandemic started.
We talked about a lot of stuff: what happened in my life and in theirs, what happened to our other friends, what our futures would be, and what we felt like we should be doing in our lives. There was a huge comfort that our conversation transpired in real-time and in-person. There were no awkward delays, unfortunate freezing of our phones' screens, and no spotty internet issues. What there were in our conversation included genuine eye contact, body language (and movement), nicely flowing talk, and heartfelt laughter.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I am trying my best to restrict my leaving of the house. We gotta do our part, you know, to keep ourselves healthy and the society safe. But as the order to stay at home except for essential runs kept being prolonged and as COVID-19 stubbornly remains, my need to socialize grew stronger. No matter how much we've been improving in terms of virtual meetups and digital body language, having authentic conversations with other persons without the noise and fault of the internet and devices is still the best method of socializing for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment