First let me assure you that while tough times don’t last, tough people do. Before you know it you will be back together with your friends live and in person. However, maybe it is time to use this negative and turn it into a positive. What a great excuse to meet some new people. When I say meet, I don’t mean google meet. I don’t mean snap, gram, face (book or time), nor am I advocating sliding into any DMs. I don’t mean sitting on your phone with your AirPods in seeming disinterested in any kind of person-to-person interaction. I mean honest to goodness human to human conversation. Go up to a new person or better yet a group of people and introduce yourself. I can promise you that you are not the only one feeling this way due to Covid restrictions. I am sure that the thought of meeting new people without the barrier of the internet is frightening but in the words of the great Ted Lasso, “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” Go be uncomfortable. Go sit at one of those vacant green stickers in the cafe or the auditorium and introduce yourself. Just remember, missing your friends is a good thing because that means you understand the actual value of being present. So when this whole thing is behind us, don’t go back to being satisfied with your snaps or your likes/comments. Continue to spend real time with the people that make you happy.