Remember when we used to meet in person once a month (or week) to work on a special project or toward a common goal, to volunteer our time and talents, to learn and grow, or simply to socialize? Waaaa! Even though the groups I have been a part of have shifted to Zoom and much of our purpose is being addressed, It’s. Just. Not. The. Same.
I miss my people!
So here’s my nudge to make an extra effort to connect with someone. It might be a long-time friend, someone who I used to see on a regular basis, or it might be someone I was just starting to get to know and looked forward to getting to know better.
Our groups might include:
- tennis buddies, weekend softball team, running group
- service organization
- book club
- bible study
- mommy & me group (even if you’re kids are all grown)
- foodies who used to get together for dinner parties
- drinking buddies (when I pulled up possible images for “club” for this post, I got photos for nightclubbing—this works too!)
I’m sensing that reaching someone on the phone and having an actual conversation will be the right move for me. If we struggle to get beyond “How are you?”, I plan on asking, “What do you miss most about our in-person meetings?” (And maybe: “What do you miss least?”)
If chatting on the phone is outside your comfort zone this week, here are a couple of alternatives:
- Send a postcard: Thinking of you! I miss you and look forward to seeing you back at [name of club] as soon as we can safely be together in person again!
- Send a text message (see above).
Karma! One friend came to mind the moment I pulled this nudge—but she beat me to it! She had seen my post introducing 52+: Connections and was inspired to invite me for a socially distanced walk. We’ve got a date inked on our calendars and I’m all warm fuzzies.
Hello, everyone! I wanted to add a follow-up note on this nudge, because it turned out to be extraordinary. I reached out a woman I had just become acquainted with pre-COVID, to check in on her, and thinking maybe we’d find some more common ground that would help us move forward once we were back together in person. Let’s call her Jo. Our chat turned to politics, at which point I held my breath, hoping we wouldn’t find ourselves on opposing sides and ending what had looked like the start of a beautiful friendship. But we instead talked about people we thought would be amazing leaders. Jo mentioned someone she knew personally and admired, and I spontaneously asked for this person’s name. Turns out she grew up on the same street as a woman who is one of my and Thor’s dearest friends. SMALL FREAKY WORLD! This is what I love about Nudges. I set out to make connections and end up making even move connections that surprise and delight me. How fun! Hope you’re having similar experiences. xoKathleen