Groundhogs Geeks and Twinkies

My friends and I have been texting each other every morning with two words.

Groundhog Day.

If you remember the Bill Murray movie by the same title, you’ll know how we’re all feeling.

Our days are sort of like:

Coffee. Breakfast. Shower. Check the News. Scroll through Facebook. Do Something Constructive. Ride the Recumbent Bike for 30 Minutes. Scroll Through Facebook. Lunch. Check the News. Neighborhood Walk. Do Something Constructive. Check Facebook Again. Check the News Again. Cocktails. Dinner. Two Hours of Netflix/Hulu/Acorn/PBS/AmazonP/NatGeo. One Last Facebook Scroll. Brush Teeth and Wash Face. Read. Lights Off. Sleep.

REPEAT. REPEAT. REPEAT. REPEAT.

If I must repeat this day over and over and over for – I don’t know – maybe 60 more days (90 more??), this extrovert is going to end up braiding my broom and finding new ways to fold my underwear. And that’s before I sort 50 years of family photos (still in boxes) by predominate color rather than decade.

Here, though, is what I’ve learned of late:

Technology, for all its faults (and yes, you’re right: privacy issues), is what’s keeping us connected right now. It’s what’s keeping most of us within some sort of normalcy … if we can call it that.

My laptop and my cell phone have now become my best friends – because my other best friends and family are right there in front of me, talking like they’re in my living room and we’re sharing a bottle of wine. ZOOM! Facebook Virtual Messenger! Google Duo! I’ve learned SO much about virtual connections in the past few days … I didn’t even know some of these tools existed 2 weeks ago.

I can virtually tour famous museums. I can learn all kinds of cool stuff about National Parks. I can participate in online Yoga (… does just watching others bend that way count as exercise?). I can take classes on all kinds of subjects! One of my favorites is MasterClass.com.

So, thank you technology geeks who I used to poke fun at. Who, for many years in the early days of technology, I unfairly judged as troll-like oddities with no social skills who worked in the dark with hundreds of twinkie wrappers under their feet.

I am now a HUGE fan of technology geeks. Oh, wait. I now want to call them geniuses. What they’re able to create with hardware and software is keeping us all sane in a very challenging time.

Next time I’m able to go to the store (have to admit ... pretty excited for 'store' day!) I’ll buy a package of twinkies, put one in each hand, and raise a toast to you, technology geniuses.