As this pandemic continues, the concept of long distance friendship is gradually rearranging itself. The usual rhythm of such friendships is that you communicate with each other by phone or on-line until the next time you see each other in person.
But now there is no clearly defined sense of when we will all see each other in person. After all, for the most part there is currently no long distance travel.
So our remote communication with our good friends in other parts of the world has become the entire discourse. Phone calls, emails, Zoom chats, these are no longer the side dish but the main meal itself.
I wonder whether this will in some way alter the nature of long distance friendships. In the long run, will it pull us away from each other, or draw us even closer together?
Good question!
I am seeing some of my long distance friends quite a bit more now than I used to pre-pandemic. Now that Zoom is the norm, and we’re not running around as much doing things locally, who I see or don’t see has changed. Alas I’m seeing some of my local friends less often.