by Sandy Siegel Miller
I write this morning, our 4th day of COVID-19 shelter in place, and in the background, Jonathan is on our first-ever Evanston Sounds Good Choir “Zoom coffee hour”! There’s a lively conversation among the 25 participants, including their conductors, Hannah and Jonathan, as well as our beloved staffer, Megan. The topic of the moment is a description of everyone’s coffee mug (“I’d like to introduce my mug”….”Here’s my not-very-attractive mug…”, “My mug is over 45 years old…”, “This mug reminds me of my co-workers/students/sister….”) and the story behind it. There was even the mug that was described as, “I have no idea where I got this mug!” I hear many greetings, lots of laughter, and the warmth of the connection that singers feel.
There’s some joking about the tremendous power that Hannah wields as the administrator with the MUTE button! Great joy as people discover that they can “raise their hand” in the virtual world.
The “coffee hour” was preceded by Tech Support consultation by Hannah and Megan. I was upstairs in our guest bedroom, laying out squares for my latest quilt, and could hear snatches of the Zoom conversation as singers learned how to join and navigate around a Zoom meeting, with the tech-savvy ones helping the rookies. There was a reasonable level of frustration but far more laughter, lively conversation, and (my favorite) the expressions of wonder and joy as people conquered their computers and found themselves fully in the meeting!
This time of isolation has brought challenges of all kinds and has found many of us alone and lonely. Our Sounds Good/Good Memories weekday rehearsals and coffee hours come with our hopes that we can stay connected and maintain our sense of community. We’re also initiating a calling tree for each choir – stay tuned for more information soon! – as another way for us to reach out to each other. Social isolation in us older adults is known to be a risk to our physical and mental health; the existing body of research makes a compelling case already. And now we add the order for all of us to isolate even further as we work to defeat the coronavirus.
Let’s work together to eliminate the risks of isolation – I think it’s absolutely possible. There are so many creative ways (and uncreative ones, too – what’s wrong with a plain-old phone call?!) that we can reach out to each other and stay connected. There is no reason that any of us should feel alone. Let’s share ideas, let’s form chat groups and virtual book clubs….Jonathan wants to explore playing Zoom-Charades…want to play?
I miss you all terribly. I’m so proud of all of us who are learning new ways to spend our days, new ways to use technology, and realizing that we “old dogs” still have a bunch of “new tricks” up our sleeves.
Stay well. Stay healthy. Stay in touch.
–Sandy
The Rev. Dr. Sandy Siegel Miller is co-founder of Sounds Good Choir, NFP and Program Director of the Good Memories Choir.
Thanks for thinking of us all the time. So appreciative of your caring concerns and ingenuity.
You guys are the best.
Carol
It’s fun and awesome to see your quilting…it’s gorgeous Sandy!!
I hope to join today’s noon coffee hour
and i hope you and all your loved ones stay safe and healthy!!
Love,
Susie