A Chic Paris Lockdown – Part 2: Day 6 – Reach Out
November 8, 2020
“Keep in touch with technology” is Fiona’s Ferris’s title for Day 6 in her book, 30 Chic Days at Home. Her idea is to make sure she connected with her loved ones and friends and enjoyed a nice chat.
Here in Paris during our second lockdown this year, staying in contact with friends and loved ones is clearly quite important. Long-term isolation is never a good idea for mental and physical health. Happily, there are several ways to reach out. What I think of as “high tech” ways are Zoom video conferences, Google meet, WhatApp video calls, and FaceTime (if you are an Apple iPhone user.) The lower-tech ways are email, text messaging, the simple phone call and, of course, a letter through the mail.
I started out my “reach out day” right after breakfast texting with my sister in the US. It was 9:30 here in Paris and 2:30 where she is. I had sent her a photo from my morning walk and she texted right back (it seems her beloved was snoring and woke her up.) Happy morning for me – I had the nice present of a brief real-time chat session with one of my favorite people in the world. I do have a few loved ones for whom neither low nor high tech options are in the realm of possibilities. I talk to my mom via phone call on her house land-line every couple of days. I also send cards via snail mail. My in-laws (both in the 90’s) are real-time phone call people.
I have made my list of friends to whom I would like to send a “check-in” email. I will Zoom with my Monday morning book club starting this Monday (November’s book is Proust’s Duchesses by Caroline Weber.) I’m glad that we can use Zoom – our members are quite spread out right at this moment. Two of us are on different sides of Paris, one is in the French countryside and the leader of the bookclub is in Australia at the moment!
I also do WhatsApp video calls and Zoom meetings/activities with the volunteer group that I belong to here in Paris. The group quickly adapted at the beginning of last lockdown and moved/developed activities nicely suited for the group video conference “venue.” Things like weekly book club, French-English conversation, iPhone photography lessons, real-time pastry cooking classes (so much fun!) as well as regular club activities such as board meetings and regular general membership meetings. It was social and fun as well as a good way to (speed-) learn new technology.
Just making the list and remembering fun times with my different pals brought a smile to my face. This was an unexpectedly fun “Day’s” action item to do – I highly recommend it!
