Finding virtual solutions to present challenges

It’s hard to believe what has become our new, and hopefully temporary, normal! A time when hugs and kisses would be considered harmful and dangerous if shared with our loved ones. A time when technology would become the solution or salvation for just about everything… including the celebration of one of the most holy days for many.

In a recent blog post, I highlighted how creativity can stem from the toughest of situations, and how leaders can emerge from the strangest of situations. It’s remarkable how innovators can arise from deep slumbers and suddenly lead the way.

I want to share my family’s experience this Easter. As we continue to isolate, cocooned within our homes and not venturing beyond our backyards for the most part, nothing could stop us from enjoying a meaningful and fun Easter holiday — thanks to the great ideas, imagination, thoughtfulness, patience and desire to create a positive experience for all in the family.

My family is dispersed across the city, so we don’t get to physically see those who don’t live in our house. However, everyone really wanted to spend the day together and conduct all our typical family traditions in the best way we could.

We woke up on Easter morning and, using the technology available, watched our Easter morning service livestreamed from the church. Every member of the family watched at the same time, so that it felt like we were all physically gathered together.

One of the cherished family traditions we have is our annual Easter egg hunt, where the Easter bunnies hide chocolate eggs throughout the house and the “children”, at the designated time, rush off to find them. Did I mention that our children are all full-grown adults? Small detail. Suffice it to say that when it comes to Easter egg hunts, those adults are inexplicably transformed into the small beings they used to be. We dare not abolish the “hunt”, ever! That sort of notion would not be tolerated by our offspring. So we continue with the hunt, even though folks have grown up and moved away, and the Easter bunnies are no longer spry and springy. Everyone has loads of fun, so we keep doing it.

So what to do this year while being in lock down? One of the said “children” came up with the idea of a hunt that we could conduct virtually, which is what we did. And it turned out magnificently!

Given the limitations to go out and shop at the store, we began with a dilemma: what will we hide? What if we can’t find any chocolates in the house? Luckily, my husband came upon a large box of truffles that was gifted to us on Valentine’s Day, and which had been sitting in the pantry since then. We looked at the expiry date and it said — July 2020! Lucky! These would do perfectly, but since they were sitting in their little slots in the box, unwrapped, the two of us stayed up late one night and lovingly wrapped each one individually, to keep them clean and “hideable”.

So, come Easter morning, the chocolates were hidden. Those who live away were “beamed in” using some sort of app, so everyone could see each other. Each was allotted a few seconds to give instructions to one of us at home on where to look for the hidden goodies. What followed was a hilarious, boisterous egg hunt of gargantuan proportions, with loads of laughter and a huge amount of competitive spirit. This had turned out to be even more fun than our regular hunt. I even heard talk of trying this sort of thing for other creative treasure hunts in the future….

Later in the day, we sat down as a family and enjoyed our Easter dinner. Yes, with everyone present, and yes, using technology yet again. It took the “children” a couple of hours to figure things out and set up the paraphernalia required.

Here’s how it worked. Various dishes were prepared the evening before and delivered to the driveways of various family members. With physical distancing carefully practiced, nobody came within 10 feet of each other as this was done. Gloves and masks were worn, just to be safe, even though the visual effect was that everyone looked like bandits, and there could have been anyone behind those masks!

So now everyone had the same food and desserts. The technology was turned on, and we all sat down for the meal, enjoying each other’s company and the food. Following dessert, one of the group serenaded us on the piano, and the family band, some located in different sites, played a brief repertoire for all to enjoy.

As it turns out, this was definitely an Easter to remember! No, not because of the dreaded virus, not because of all the things we could not do, but because of the things we could do and the goals we achieved, to get the results that we wanted. What began as a desire to create a positive experience for all, culminated in a day filled with fun, meaning and love. All it took was the burning desire to accomplish something, some strong determination and a good dose of creativity.

I don’t know when these times will change and become better, but I’m convinced they will. In a way, I hope things never go back to exactly the way they were. I’m hoping that the world will become a better place, that human beings will begin to appreciate the little things in life, where value will be placed on the people and things that matter, rather than material possessions, money and other things that make us greedy.

While we are most definitely experiencing one of the most difficult times in our history, it does us good to take a pause and think about all the good things that are happening concurrently — to and with humankind, to the earth that’s getting some respite from constant pollution, to the highways that are not getting battered with normal traffic, to the reduced carbon footprint, but most of all, to the creativity and imagination that will emerge from weeks and months of having to think differently!

In my next posts, I’ll talk about how the world is changing and how to position ourselves for the new reality that will be our world.

Stay safe, everyone!

I’d love to hear your comments on this post! Please email me at: bernadette@gogettercoaching.com .

Are you wanting to think differently about your goals and desires? Are you seeking a change in your life? Are you having trouble making decisions on what to do next? Are there avenues you’d like to explore?

If so, reach out to me at bernadette@gogettercoaching.com and get ready to explore the possibilities that are out there waiting for you!