This is another one of those days when my mind is filled with nothing and yet it is consumed with everything. It’s funny how that goes.

It looks like I will just have to start writing and see what comes out.

One thing I know for sure, it takes quiet thinking time to have usable thoughts already arranging themselves in your head. This week has been without any of those times. But I’m not complaining.

It turns out this has been a week for long conversations and I have to say it’s been very nice. A blessing really. Probably even an answer to prayer.

The isolation we have all been faced with in this covid situation, means times for enjoying friendly faces have been few and far between. For months on end. It takes a heavy toll on both our emotional and our mental health.

I’ve found there is an upside to forced loneliness though. There is a heightened sense of joy in unanticipated visits. Even if they are only on the phone.

There were three such visits this week that stand out for me. The one thing making each of these visits special was the topic of conversation. In all three cases the subjects were specialized. How often does it happen that you find someone not bored to tears when some of these conversations come up. Not very often, trust me. That’s why I enjoyed these instances so much. Two of them I rarely get to talk about.

There was distance involved but it didn’t matter. That’s the beauty of a phone call, hundreds of miles mean nothing. Unless the reception is terrible. Technology is one of the appreciated blessings of our modern age.

One of the three visits though, was local and in person. How nice was that, to see a face I’ve not seen in months.

There is one lasting resolution for me, coming out of this pandemic season. I plan to put more effort into treasuring the important people in my life.

Keeping in touch and connecting with friends and loved ones has taken on a new urgency.

The personal benefit coming out of all this?

There is something about spending time with people that puts a lightness on inside and a smile on the outside.

What can be better than that after the gloom of covid?