We Are Wired for Connection
How social isolation during COVID-19 made me realize how much we need others to give life meaning.
As we are going through the COVID-19 quarantine, I have transitioned from survival mode, fueled by fear of the unknown, to having adapted to this new way of life. I am more relaxed and have less anxiety about my family’s well-being. The fear that had preoccupied a large space of my awareness initially, is now replaced by a deep longing for socializing with my friends and relatives. I desperately long for family reunions in crowded kitchens where counters overflow with dishes brought in from various homes, the air filled with a mixture of aromas, laughter and animated conversations.
This sentiment was especially strong one recent night. While sipping my latest favorite vodka-lime-tonic under a fading sunset sky, Jackson Browne boosts the effect of my elixir as his voice flows through the speakers and lifts me out of that place where small stuff rules, into that sacred space of clarity on what’s truly important.
While savoring my moment of contentment and deep gratitude for all that is well in my life, my husband shows me a stream of pictures that have just been shared by many of his family members through a newly discovered app. As snapshots of sweet moments scroll across his screen, I cannot help but tear up. In this moment I realize more than ever how much I miss all of them. The toddlers and babies of the past are now grown men and women planning weddings, careers and home purchases. Time has gone by so fast and as I am approaching my fifties, and my own kids have grown into big kids now, a couple even close to adulthood, I am fully aware of how little time we truly have on this Earth. And, that life appears meaningless if we were going through it alone. If there’s anything I have learned on my spiritual journey that I started a few years ago, is that we are wired for social connection. We are not meant to figure everything out or go through life on our own, we are meant to share our lives together.
I cannot wait until our next family reunion. Or, until I run into my dear friends and neighbors again while shopping at the mall, having lunch or dinner at our favorite restaurants, volunteering at our elementary school, or when I finally take care of my dark roots at my hair salon. And, when that finally happens again, my mandatory face mask might come in handy. Not just to help prevent the spread of the virus, but also to catch a tear or two.
Stay safe. Until we meet again.
