Making Connections by Vicki Carter
Tonight my husband, Robert Carter, and I watched an independent film that our son bought tickets for us to see. I watched on my iPad, and he watched on his laptop. There was no descriptive narration for the blind, but I think the movie was driven by dialogue to an extent that a blind person could follow it okay. My husband didn’t stay for the Q and A, only because he has sleep issues. (People with zero light perception can’t regulate their sleep using the sun to control circadian rhythms...)
I loved the whole online premiere experience! Knowing that our son, Graham Carter, was watching the Q and A in real time with me was very cool. He reminded me that Robert and I had once met the director at the man’s birthday party in downtown Brooklyn. Graham and I texted after the Q and A, and that was so fun!
Even though we didn’t talk during the event, I felt so connected to Graham.
Gone are the days when Robert and I could (literally) jet off to join Graham at a film festival. There are no more film festivals. There are no more films in production. Experiences like tonight matter for our family.
How are you finding ways to reinvent the experiences that matter most to you and your loved ones? How are you connecting? Is technology helping or are you struggling with it?
Last month I almost entitled my article “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth.” I am not a geek. I rely on my geek husband and son. I know how awful it is to struggle with technology.
But can you imagine being separated from your loved ones without it? When I lived 70 miles from home and had no car or phone my mother used to write me every week. If she needed me to get to a pay phone and call her she would phone a friend at his newsstand and wait for me to stop by and get the message.
There was no email, no FaceTime, no Zoom, no cellphones making us constantly available. We are lucky to have all that in this time of physical separation.
I've attended two parties and a concert on Zoom. People send little treats on messenger or by text. We can have group calls on the HomePod. (This really confuses my elderly father-in-law. He thinks we must be in the same room with Graham.) Best of all, my husband, son and I have a text group that Robert named “The Fabulous Carters.” Hardly a day goes by that we don't share an article, a song, or a joke. Before all this happened, I used to look at “Find My Friend” and see that Graham was 1431 miles away. Now I know people who are separated from loved ones by less than a mile. It might as well be a thousand miles.
I look forward to the time when our family can be in the same room again. Until then, I will just have to be grateful that we have so many ways to stay connected.
June Lessons on Good and Evil
June 7 The Evil Wizard
June 14 The Sword of the Wood
June 21 The Noble Ibex
June 28 The Dog and the Heartless King
