Will You Snap Back from Social Distancing?

There was a day when we would relish the hour of freedom gifted by a canceled business lunch, soccer practice or board meeting. There was a day we couldn’t stand the idea of another birthday party. There was a day when lackadaisically responding (or not) to texts or calls from friends wasn’t a big deal, because you’d see them tomorrow.   

Those days are gone. 

Ever since the word “quarantine” started dominating headlines, we’ve been faced with new realities. And those realities have crushed us down to the basic needs of human existence, the need to have meaningful relationships – face-to-face. Not Zoom face, actual face. 

Maybe you’re the introvert of introverts who still gets tickled by a canceled Zoom meeting. Maybe you got hives at the first mention of a stay-at-home order. Maybe you started out happy to do your part only to realize you aren’t the patriot you were eight weeks ago.  

Wherever you’re at, there’s a common ground we can all agree on; a drink with a Brother at City Tap House sounds pretty epic right about now.  

And here is the good news. No one is saying this will never end – just that it hasn’t yet. So, what events do you wish you’d attended at Penn that you skipped out on? Will you go when the opportunity comes again? What memories echoed so loudly in your silence that they demanded to be relived? Will you make space to recreate them?  

For many of us, the Brotherhood forged at Phi Phi trumps friendships made years before and decades after. So, the big question is, will your choices be different after quarantine?  

By now, we all realize that while technology is a life-saving necessity, it is not a replacement for in-person interaction. It will tide us over, but it will not go the distance. So, call your Brothers. Text your Brothers. Reunite over Zoom with your Brothers. Connect. Reconnect. Do whatever you can to remind yourself of that lifetime bond. But do it with the intent of going the distance when this is over because the best years with your Brothers don’t have to be behind you. 

Who are you inviting for that drink? Will you get tickets with your Brothers for the Cornell game? Start answering those questions now and use the directory to get moving on the one thing we all know painfully well cannot be replaced: face-to-face time making memories.