I attended my very first virtual birthday party this week as well as my first Passover, and I’ll be hosting a virtual Easter tomorrow. My birthday is this upcoming Tuesday and that celebration will also be virtual. It’s all very odd if I’m being honest, but it’s the only way we can remain connected to our loved ones right now, so I’ll do it.
Virtual gatherings have become the norm since the coronavirus outbreak. I’ve used Zoom and Houseparty, and been on countless FaceTime calls in the past month. I consider myself now an expert in these platforms.
The hardest one was virtually celebrating my brother’s birthday last night. I have an 18-month-old niece (and a nephew on the way) and it’s been very hard to be apart from my family who live so close to me in NYC. Especially at a time when the world is so scary. I used to go to their apartment several times a week, and they were my rocks when my live-in boyfriend suddenly ended our relationship and I had to move out of our home. 
We unsuccessfully tried to teach my 77-year-old dad how to use Zoom to join my brother’s birthday. Let’s just say that didn’t go well. I wish it was easier for the technology challenged to master these new platforms because they then feel left out of social gatherings.
Companies are also quickly adapting to this new “normal“ in terms of how they interact with their clients and employees.
Hosting virtual events and educational programs is a smart idea if you haven’t been doing them yet. Consider a virtual coffee break or happy hour with employees and also certain key client teams. Being top of mind and connected should be your main priority right now. Bringing others together now will be helpful to everyone.
For now, this is all we have to remain connected to each other, and seeing the people I love virtually is better than nothing, but I can’t wait for the day when we can be together in person again. Stay safe.
Update: Virtual Easter was a success. There were about 12 of us who would normally be together for family functions (my dad still couldn’t figure out how to join lol), and it was great to see everyone. It made the holiday less lonely. I am a huge holidays person and host as many functions as I can, so this has been a big adjustment for me. Looking forward to the day when we look back on this period as a learning experience and one that made us appreciate what and who we have more.
