Year End Review

A friend invited me to a Zoom chat for our university group. So on Wednesday, I logged in after dinner to virtually meet up with the old gang. Like any dinner party, it overstayed its welcome; this 5-hour hang was probably 90 minutes too long. But it was good to see familiar faces, some of whom I haven't seen in almost 15 years.

Given this year, COVID news cropped up several times. No one was personally affected health-wise and everyone was lucky enough to be able to work from home. Most had kids so there was a lot kvetching around that, regardless if they were physically back in school or studying online. The challenges between managing work-life and home-life remained even when you didn't have to commute. Other annoyances included cutting your own hair, sharing the internet, or finding time to eat as a family. A few lamented that they were surprised how little together-time they actually had despite so much time spent at home.

These experiences were bemusing as I didn't have these responsibilities. I had to admit to my buddies that overall it has been enjoyable for me: eating in the park at lunchtime, walking all over Toronto; I have never spent so much time outdoors. One thing we did have in common was the march of time. So there was much commiseration (and comparison) about all the ways our bodies were failing us.

One family was building their house from the ground up after a fire. They regaled us with 3 years of bureaucratic run-arounds and contractor woes. And they still have 4 more months to go (in the best case scenario). Others had less dramatic home ownership problems. As a renter, I only contributed the bizarre situation of my landlord in his last few months.

One thing that stood out for me was an interaction with an old friend within the larger group chat. I had forgotten about our camaraderie since we lost touch. I don't usually enjoy being around loud people but I found their boisterousness charming. Perhaps it was self-serving since tonight they thought all my corny jokes and quips utterly hysterical! So I lamented that this easy rapport with another person was something rare for me. If only I could be this copacetic with more people.