Cocktail Parties in Isolation
Suzanne Pollak
To stay mentally healthy, we must connect. One of the most delightful ways used to be inviting people into our homes and giving them not only food and drink but also our undivided attention. Now that the world has changed and many of us are having, or will have, health emergencies, we still need to connect but we also need behave in a different way. Instead of cocktail or dinner parties (the thought of hosting them borders on bad taste!) we will learn to gather in new ways. How else will you contribute to friends’ and neighbors’ emotional health?
How often do we get a chance to reboot the cocktail party? A powerful and inexpensive way to host is with this simple plan. Invite someone spontaneously — because when you need a companion, we guarantee one of your friends does too. Text a time, topic and menu so a little happy vibe comes through. While you pour yourself a cocktail, a glass of wine or soda water, warm some olives to nibble and find a quiet place to sit; your friend will do the same and then Zoom, Facetime, Skype, or just call. The virtual cocktail doesn’t have to go long but it will do you both some good.
Let’s all stay connected, stay sane, stay well, stay healthy at home!