The Value of Human Connection
Can you put a value on human connection?
If human connection was in the stock market from the beginning of the Coronavirus developments, probably we would have seen a massive drop in value early March, and then a sudden jump -around now- due to scarcity - at least in Europe.
It has been 75 days since my lockdown has started. 75 days... is a long time:
2 months and 14 days
10 weeks and 5 days
1800 hours
108,000 minutes
6,480,000 seconds
It is 20.5% of 2020. 😱
When lockdown was first introduced, it was a welcomed change in my day to day routine.
There was no stress of catching a virus from strangers.
No frustration of every-day rush hour.
No fight to squeeze yourself into whatever public transport you take and feel like you are just another sardine in the can.
Instead all of these were replaced with:
breakfasts in bed
more time for morning meditation
reading more pages in my book in the morning
longer morning stretches
and, if I didn't feel like any of the above, then longer sleep.
That additional 30 - 60 minutes revolutionised my mornings.
But after a while, all that positivity of slow living was shadowed by the plague of uncertainty:
Hearing about colleagues and friends being made redundant
Declining values in all critical business metrics
Lack of clarity as to when the lockdown might end
Intense longing for every basic experience
This is the point when the human connection became more important then ever.
I, personally, am finding it very difficult to get motivated at the moment, unless I made a meaningful communication at some point in my day.
"Meaningful" is the operative word here. No more initial hunger of jumping on calls with everyone or just sending millions of memes every day. No more chit chat or gossip.
Instead, it created space for more intentional catchups, thinking about how each call can be more fun and meaningful for one another, a fine balance of light, fun and thought-provoking conversation. It also highlighted the quality of friendships/relationships, who had circumstantial presence in my life and whose company I truly enjoyed. It also made me reflect on how I could be inspiring, fun, motivating, more present for those who truly mattered to me.
Yesterday it was an old friend's birthday and we had a mini remote birthday celebration. Checking in with one another, drinking, chatting, future planning... After the call, life felt better and easier. Things I needed to do didn't seem so big. And even relaxing became more natural afterwards.
If there is one thing I learned about myself during this lockdown is that I definitely get energised by human connection. And that is priceless.
As long as it is meaningful to me.
