When I spent two years in the UK in my 20's, my methods of communication with family and friends back home were email, phone and snail mail. I sent regular group emails to update people with what I'd been doing. I spoke to my family once a week - where I lived, we had a pay-phone, and I had a fantastic cheap phone card that seemed to drag 50 pounds out to 6 months or so. I did have a UK mobile phone that I used for text messages occasionally, but you can only communicate so much information in a text message right? My Grandma posted me wonderful letters all the time. I still have them all kept safe in a box somewhere back home. There was no facebook back then. I didn't have access to the internet often enough for any sort of web-chat. There was no skype. And I survived.
With my boy in NYC, we have soooo many options. Facebook, email, chat, skype, phone, mail, text... And I still reeeaaallllllly struggled last week! The timezone doesn't help matters - count 8 hours ahead and a day behind - it sucks lots of asses.
I've had to talk myself into relaxing about it. Not so much lowering my expectations, but rather not having any expectations at all. I woke up to this on Saturday morning with the realisation that he is in exactly the same boat as me. I ended up having the most fantastic weekend, with some lovely surprises of emails and skypes and photos. The whole 'not expecting it' method meant that every single little bit of contact put a massive smile on my face! And in a big step for me, I'm going cold turkey on my personal email at work. The distraction is not worth it. I am actually getting paid to do a job, so my focus will be much better spent being drawn back to where it belongs during the hours of 9 and 6.. It will make receiving an email so much sweeter at the end of the day!
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