Photo by Ricardo Esquivel from Pexels — Photo by **Ricardo Esquivel** from **Pexels**

School’s Out (Work From Home)

Michigan public schools have been closed for just over one week. There have been considerable adjustments for all, including parents working from home with kids. Having to deal with professional responsibilities, while helping to stay on top of children’s education can be a delicate balancing act.

Happy Birthday

To provide some context, we are blessed to have some neighbors with whom we are close, so we have been a great support to each other, during the coronavirus pandemic. We were reminded the other day that it was the birthday of one of the neighbor kids. One of the parents had the idea of doing a conference call on Zoom between all of the neighbor kids, so that we could celebrate the birthday and have a different way for them to spend time together.

Can You Hear Me Now?

I remember that I was working, while my wife held her phone up, so that our son could participate in his very first conference call via Zoom. From what little that I heard, it sounded downright hilarious. My son was building some structure with Magna-Tiles (Amazon Affiliate links) for the other kids to see. I’m unsure, if they knew what he was doing, but it seemed like there were some additional side conversations. There might have been a few times that my wife had to tell them, “I don’t think that they can see you” or one of the kids may have said something. It was cutely hilarious and fascinating to hear these kids hanging out together in Zoom, albeit in a different way. I was so very glad about the parent whose idea this was. Depending on how long schools are closed and the shelter-in-place/stay at home order is still in place, I could definitely see this happening again.

Let’s Get Together

The other night, I saw a segment on FOX 2 Detroit about how people are using mobile technology to maintain contact, even with people that may live right next door. I found it interesting how, since I published my piece, “Can You Hear Me Now?” we are now using technology in a different, much more intentional way. I couldn’t tell you how many times that I would be in an elevator at work and observe people pulling out their cellphones and start mindlessly scrolling for what is usually a brief elevator ride. Where before mobile tech is used to disconnect from the world, now I’m seeing that it’s the complete opposite.

In my opinion, we can consider the coronavirus pandemic one of the defining moments in our country’s history. Where before, we thought of connecting with others as optional, now we crave it. For those of us that are confined in/to our homes, it can get old to keep looking at your own four walls. So now, when we think about FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom or Google Duo, we look at using these technologies to intentionally connect with our loved ones. Maintaining and regaining contact is what will carry us through.

IS THERE SOMEONE THAT YOU WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH AGAIN. NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW. GO FOR IT.

Be sure to follow me at The Jose Rodriguez (Facebook), The Jose Rodriguez (Twitter) or The Jose Rodriguez (Instagram).