I’m realizing that I need face-to-face contact. IRL, I send visual and tone of voice cues and like getting them back.
Never had a Zoom or Skype type interaction where the visual came through clearly enough to satisfy. When it’s 1 on 1, better. But for me, still incomplete.
Indeed I too really dread talking on the phone. I can do 1-on-1 calls fine for work but never do it with friends. However I discovered that I find group zoom calls to be fun.
Oh, I am most definitely, without a doubt a homebody. It has been really pretty much okay with me. BUT. That is wearing off a bit especially as we now look ahead to warm weather again…
I’ve learned that I really love my house and have no problem being in it for months. I’ve also discovered that I enjoy FaceTime tea with my friends and long phone chats that remind me of the time before video calls. And I’ve loved having my kids home with me…especially my D who is taking a gap year. It’s given me a chance to spend time with her without all the school stresses and I’ve cherished it. Also I’m fine not flying anywhere for the foreseeable future as long as I can drive to a new location for a change of scenery every so often.
I’ve learned upholstery. No kidding, a friend and I reupholstered another friend’s dining room chairs and now I have another friend’s six chairs to do. I probably would have done the same without the pandemic but what a good way to pass the time at home. I’ve also learned that as much as I love singing in a chorus, virtual singing is not even close. And I loathe Zoom. Living for the day (maybe in the fall?) when we can harmonize together in the same place again.
Since the wife’s pandemic layoff, we’ve been having to do our “adulting” as a one income family. Planning our groceries with curbside, admittedly, has been good for us. Overall, it’s been a good “detox” from overspending. I can’t say my teenager was terribly excited, but it’s been good for her too, although she won’t tell you that 
It turns out that we didn’t need a Costco membership after all. All of the nonfood items we thought we were saving money on can be bought at Target for less money. Shame on us, I guess. I can’t stand wearing a mask, so I never go to the store for impulse purchases. I must admit, that makes my wife happy.
Overall, this is a good normal for us, and we’re going to keep most of it in place after the pandemic is over.
I’ve missed the big things less than I thought, but the little things seem to be more irksome. Maybe its because there’s more of the latter. By big things I mean stuff like a summer vacation. We’ve been lucky to travel just about every summer, so missing a trip hasn’t been such a big deal. But its the smaller stuff such as going out to a restaurant for dinner, going to see a movie, meeting friends for a drink, that are missed. And each week is a reminder of what we’re not doing.
On the other hand, spending has gone down and it turns out we aren’t missing the stuff we haven’t bought.
We just tried out the Home Depot curbside and have to say that they have it totally figured out. Even shut our trunk for us. I guess learning to adapt to new ways is good for us.
