The value of face-to-face

Over this holiday season I've been catching up with friends and family, who I haven't seen in a long time. That means lots of sharing of news – some of it good, some of it not-so-much. There's the friend who's pregnant again and the one still trying to get pregnant; one friend is moving away to be closer to her husband's aged parents; and a close family member apologised out of the blue for something terrible that happened years ago. There have been tears and laughs, skiing and movies, turkey and bubbly wine. It's made me appreciate the importance of face-to-face interactions over online, digital options. All the news and conversations I've shared could have taken place on Facebook or email, but they didn't; they waited until we were together. That's the value of coming together for holidays.

The difference a cold makes

I have been so looking forward to this holiday season. I'm going to be seeing some friends and family who I haven't seen in over a year. It all starts this week and I've been preparing for it for months. I've been actively excited and anticipating the get-togethers, the catch-up conversations, the drinks, the sharing, the gift-swapping, all of it for weeks. Now that it's here, about to kick-off tomorrow, I'm apathetic. Three days ago I woke up with a head cold. I've been struggling to breathe, it's taken extra effort to think clearly through my pounding head and I can barely talk without pain or a coughing fit. I know somewhere deep down I still want to see everyone, but I don't have access to those happy, eager emotions that I had before. They are dulled. So as I wait for my body to fight this cold, I hope that when I actually meet up with people I'll be able to muster an 'I've missed you. It's good to see you,' instead of a cough and a honking nose-blow.