99 Weeks
99 weeks.
I hadn’t been out of Singapore in exactly 99 weeks. For a guy who had spent more than 25 years traveling outside of the “little pink dot” 2, 3, even 4, times a month, this was extreme.
COVID 19 had reduced my living area significantly. Of course, I am thankful that my family, friends and I are all healthy and that many people have it a lot worse than I do, but for me working out of my home office for almost 2 years had become very difficult emotionally.
And nowhere was that more evident than when I stepped into the large lobby of my quarantine hotel room in Bangkok a few weeks ago, feeling lighter and happier — and freer — than I had in those 2 years. My long-planned “mental health” escape had started, and I already felt like a new man.
As with many of us, my life had shrunk due to Covid. Real-life human contact had been minimized, screen meetings were the rule and trips into the city to meet friends or clients were rare. Trips outside of Singapore were non-existent. Sure, I had my family at home and a few key friends I saw regularly, but the breadth and variety had withered, and I was feeling it.
My trip to Thailand had 2 agendas: First, was to take care of some business in Bangkok, and the second was to go visit Chiang Mai for some true R&R, riding around on a bike, getting into the hills and engage is some serious sitting around sipping coffee.
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But after a few days of meetings and meals in Bangkok, I began to realize there was a third, unintended but equally important agenda: Meeting people I’d only known virtually over the previous 24 months. As I’m sure it was for many, I’d developed several relationships that existed only in a virtual, digital state — via Zoom or email or some messenger.
There was the year-long development project with teams in Vietnam, Thailand and the States. There were mentoring and coaching engagements with startups and teams from GSMA, Impact Collective, DFAT, Facebook and others. There were companies for whom I was helping to raise capital. And there was even *MY* coach — who I’d never met in real life.
It turns out the one of the best parts of my trip was getting to meet these folks in person for the first time. I’d forgotten how vital that real life, face-to-face contact was — those conversations over a meal or coffee, the literal walk in the park, even a careful hug. All important, all essential elements of how we bond as humans.
And I realized just how much of that humanity we have given up over these past 2 difficult years. Again, I recognize how very fortunate my family and friends have been and that many others have been affected far more adversely than I have; this virus has been devastating to so many people.
But I also see that for many of us, we’ve been disconnected from that key human essence of real-life contact. We’ve gotten so used to the cameras and the screens and the mics that many of us have forgotten how joyful it is to talk with friends in person, have that hug, revel in the company of others. Certainly, for me, the hidden and unplanned joy of my trip was connecting — truly connecting — with people I’d only known digitally. And it was such a surprise and a treat…
So, as we come to the end of another year and begin to think about 2022 and what that might bring, my wish is that we can all de-digitize a bit and re-learn how to enjoy and appreciate the real-life presence of our friends and loved ones.
Happy holidays friends and best wishes for a much, much better 2022.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com in December 2021
