#staying connected

When it comes to relationships, everyone is pretty much friends with everyone. But I’ll tell you who’s closest to who.

Jose lets Yuri come to his farm sometimes to catch bugs. Haoyu also likes to drop by to deliver messages. And Sometimes he likes to deliver fresh food to good old Bruce.

Fiona sometimes invites Cass and Lucy to the beach so they can relax. Nothing is better than to have the warm sun beaming down while you listen to the waves.

Yuri calls Jose her uncle sometimes. And Emma is a good friend to talk to when you’re feeling shy.

Haoyu and Leo hit it off great. They even write to each other sometimes. Haoyu likes to deliver messages to everyone he can if there’s a state of emergency.

Sana likes to take Eis to the forest sometimes and teach him about wildlife. Bruce is also a good friend who wants to help keep the earth clean.

Cass is pretty much friends with everyone.

Cal gets along well with Attilio, Cass, and Lucy. They like to meet up in the same coffee shop sometimes.

Iben thinks that Attilio is a great babysitter for her kids. she acts pretty motherly towards everyone else.

Attilio loves kids and making them laugh. Leo, Emma, Haoyu, and Yuri are a fan of his antics.

Lucy does what she can to keep in touch with Cal, Eis, Sana, and Iben. She just likes to check on them.

Eis likes hanging out with Sana and Lucy. He likes how they can find beauty in simple things.

Bruce appreciates it when Jose drops by to bring him so fresh crops. He also likes passing down his wisdom towards Yuri, giving her some fun facts about bugs. And Sana is a great person for preserving wildlife.

Leo likes to talk to Haoyu sometimes. As for Emma, he talks to her A LOT!

#ComeWhatMay

Day: Twenty-One

In this time of isolation, all of us are trying to find ways to connect. With most interaction happening through email, through phone calls, or even video-conferencing, we wanted to remind everyone of the lovely postcard and letter. During these trying times, the smallest bit of happiness is valuable, and who isn’t happy to received an unexpected message from a friend in their mailbox? 

Since we don’t have your address, we thought we’d send a postcard message to you from here: 

“Dear Friend,  We hope this card finds you well. The past several weeks have been trying and a bit stressful, but all in all we are doing all right. It appears that spring and summer are just around the bend, so when we saw this card we just had to share it. Do you have any plans for the summer? Do you hope to visit a lake? We hope to be able to go out and enjoy Idaho’s wonderful nature to its full extent as soon as possible with our friends and family. 

Though we are not sure exactly when that will be possible, we hope the coming months are brighter than the last. Stay happy and healthy to the best of your ability and we are thinking of when we can spend time with you again. 

Kindest Thoughts, 

UI Spec Staff”

One of our great challenges right now is staying connected.

For all of our technology, our shift to social isolation and shelter in place has made clear just how many of our connections are still grounded in specific places.

There are people that we used to see all the time. Because we were always in the same places that they were.

Whether it was work. Or the grocery store. Or church. Or somewhere else.

Our connection with them was tied to that place. And now?

We’re missing someone. Because we’re missing somewhere.

For many of us, one of our missing “someones” is God. Because our connection to God is tied to a place. A place that we can’t get to right now.

Don’t get me wrong – streaming Masses, Rosaries, and other devotions are vital. They’re a critical link for all of us.

Just seeing other people online with us lets us know we’re not alone.

But there’s something in us that needs places too.

And not just church. We need to be with God, in church and outside of church.

It’s not one or the other, though. The church or other places. This is a both-and. Church and other places.

Actually, it’s a need we’ve always had. It’s just a lot more obvious, now that we’re stuck at home.

Which means that we need to pick up a thought from today’s first reading. You and I need to create places to connect with God.

Both ones that are specially set aside for God. And places to connect with God wherever we are.

Right where we are. Right now.

It’s easier than you think. As St. Teresa of Avila put it, “know that if you are the kitchen, the Lord walks among the pots and pans.”

Know that wherever you are, God is already there. Waiting just for you.

First, I want to reassure you that you aren’t alone in this issue. (no pun intended) A lot of survivors struggle with this.

So, I’m going to offer a couple bits of advice:

-Do you have anything from your friends that might help reassure you that they care/that you have a connection? It might be a gift they gave you or something that reminds you of a good time you had. 

If so, make a conscious effort to put it in a noticeable spot and.. think about that good thing whenever you see it. 

-Are you close enough with any of your friends that they would be willing to help make a more conscious reminder? I once wrote one of my friends a list of like 101 reasons I loved him. and it was filled with fun things we’d done. 

It might be a letter or a voice mail. Something you can return to when you feel disconnected.

-Is there anything you can do to structure your time when you’re alone? Sometimes having a specific purpose to our time alone can make it a little harder to disappear into our heads.

It’s really easy to get sucked into… low-energy, low-reward things that are mindless but our minds go to bad places? This doesn’t mean all low-energy, low-reward things are bad!

But just… pay attention to how you feel if you do them for too long. What are you doing when you start to notice yourself feeling bad?

Are you watching netflix? Tumblr? Staring at the walls?

Can you replace your low-energy, low-reward things with something with a bit more energy and a bit more reward? 

I’ve taken up bread baking. Some people do..  low/medium energy…. things that help make.. maybe not the world a better place- but make a space a better place. Whether they’re helping design posters for charities or doing transcriptions for their favorite youtubers. They make inaccessible posts on tumblr more accessible. They use their skills to do something that… they don’t have deadlines it isn’t their job, but it gives them a sense of purpose and something they can focus on.

Some people like challenging video games or learning new skills for a similar reason

- Can you find new ways to connect with people that… can happen sporadically? Maybe a chat room you enjoy popping into. I write fanfiction, and every time I talk to people who like my stuff, it’s a small bit of connection. When I’m feeling disconnected, I can go into my inbox and reply to a couple of comments that I’ve received recently.

I can reblog one of those posts that is like ‘12 prompts, send me a character and a number’ and get a few and write a few hundred words and connect with people that way.

This obvioulsy isn’t… all inclusive advice. I don’t have all the answers. But I do hope this is able to help at least a little bit.

Landing abroad with no internet means no maps, no translation, and no way to reach your friends and family. The good news: staying connected while travelling has never been easier.

You have three options. Roaming from your home carrier is the simplest, but often the most expensive outside Europe. A local SIM card is cheaper, but you have to buy it and set it up once you arrive. And the eSIM, a virtual SIM you activate in minutes straight from your phone, before you even take off.

The eSIM has become travellers' favourite: no shop to find, instant activation, and data plans tailored to each destination. The only catch is the choice: offers vary wildly from one provider and one country to the next. To compare plans by destination and avoid nasty surprises on your bill, use an eSIM comparison site like MyBestSim, which gathers the offers in one place.