Pandemic Friendships and New years Resolutions

I’ve been reading articles about friendships and the pandemic. Many of us went through a friend reset after isolation, then were able to come out of our caves because of vaccines or low case numbers. During the darkest days, we zoomed with those we couldn’t visit in other states. We made our regular friend dates like book clubs into video chats. We worked at home. We dined in heated tents or grabbed a beer outside on sunny days, wearing hats, boots, mittens. Being outside last summer allowed us to reconnect with even more friends as infection rates fell. 
 
It’s January, 2022. We’re back inside in the thick of winter, if we’re lucky. All the alarms are going off again: high infection rates, hospitals overwhelmed, pandemic fatigue. In the bright light of day, who do you call?
 
I resolve to keep in touch with my nearest and dearest in every way I can. It feels harder to do that than it used to. I will forgive myself for quiet days reading a book instead of planning a dinner party. It will get easier. I understand Danish hygge is so last year, and Swedish mys is in strong competition. Either way, now is the time to embrace warm sweaters, handmade socks, hot cocoa, good books, and friends.