Today the island is celebrating! It is my wife’s birthday.
I have been blessed beyond measure to share my isolation
with another soul. Having a person to talk to, dine with, even sing to has been
an important part of my relative contentment. My heart weeps for those of us
who might be alone in this time. Be strong, if you can, my friends and don’t be
afraid to call out for help.
My son is a student in Chicago and is doing a solo lockdown.
He lives in a cozy efficiency studio near his now shuttered grad school and
ventures out only for supplies. He is alone in the physical space, but he has a
whole panoply of internet interests and friends. He is hosting role-playing
games, moderating a Pokemon bracket (for real!), playing hours of online Animal
Crossing and, oh yeah, doing some work on the art that is his actual
occupation.
I asked him if he felt if his online experience growing up
has been an advantage during this time of confinement. Remember, at age twenty-six,
he is a part of the generation that first saw the internet (and video games) as
their playground. He agreed that he and his friends feel uniquely prepared for
this kind of shutdown because of their comfort and facility with the online
world. Online learning, while cumbersome, is not a novel thing for his
generation. Distant friendships, video conferences and intimate virtual chats
are all part of his realm of knowledge.
While we are struggling to get our audio and video to turn
on in Zoom, my son and his friends are out there creating whole worlds of
communication. When he was younger, we scoffed or cajoled – get off the
computer, go play ball or something. But as he puts it now, “It’s a bad time to
be a swimmer.” When there is no ball to be played, it is nice to be able to
reach out for virtual companionship.
So happy birthday, Julia my love. A little later on, we’ll
treat ourselves by bumbling our way into our son’s online world for a
much-needed albeit virtual visit.
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