Amelia and I have been planning for some time to get together with our sorely-missed friends, Stephanie and Bella, who have been sheltering in nearby Palm Springs since we got here. All this time it has felt like kind of a tease to have them so close, and today we finally got together (safely-spaced apart and outside, despite the heat). We decided to meet at our place late this afternoon: a real, live happy hour.
“Social distancing” is an oxymoron, and runs counter to how many humans naturally operate; quarantine has completely redefined the ways we gather and spend time with friends and family. In some ways I’ve had it much easier than others, since our family of five means a built-in full house, and since we were lucky enough to co-quarantine for several weeks with the French family. But for the most part, hangouts have moved into the realm of Zoom and Houseparty and, though I’m grateful for the technology that enables these virtual gatherings, they of course are not at all the same.
Here’s what I learned today about happy hour in quarantine: when time is no object, the hour matters not at all, but the happy becomes a very big deal. And there is no happier thing, no greater luxury, as we struggle to stay connected from a healthy distance, than the simple, straightforward act of sharing time within the reach of friends. Even Stephanie forgot to take a picture.
Today, our actual happy hour is my joy. #joyinplace
Comments