CHAMBER NEWS & VIEWS
Our new virtual life
Before our worlds came crashing down in March, I’m sure there were lots of things you had planned. They were on the calendar. Written in stone. Yes, we’ve all heard the joke. What’s the most useless thing you have lying around the house? Your 2020 calendar.
When the stay safer at home mandate first started, we were all binge watching TV, completing all our DIY projects and eating until it was time to move up to our fat pants.
But now, the luster of all that excitement has faded. We realize what we are missing: vacations, weddings, parties, baby showers, graduations. People say they’re postponing them or cancelling them. Either way, we’re missing them. Granted, it will save us money, but that’s not the point. We wanted to go on that cruise. Little Johnnie will only graduate from high school once. The wedding was for your favorite niece.
And there’s only so far Zoom can take you. Been to many parties on Zoom. It was fun at first. Attended a wedding in the chamber lobby. Lots of fun. But there were only six of us – all masked up. Didn’t get out of hand. No cake.
We’re entering stage two of keeping busy. Of course, I asked my best friend Google to give me some ideas. Missing that vacation? Take a virtual trip at home. I have fifteen different pages of virtual tours. Just get on your computer and type in the name of your preferred destination. Then when that glorious day comes when travel is back, you’ll know what to expect and exactly what you want to do. In the meantime, your computer is the way to get “outside” while stuck at home.
Same goes for getting some culture. You can explore museums, art, theater all from the comforts of home. Food and drink, too. Celebrity chefs let you watch them cook. Famous bartenders show you the secrets of mixology. The weirdest link I saw let me know that Dollywood has the best cinnamon bread in America. Who knew? But be prepared to stay in those fat pants for a little longer while you learn.
You can experience Disney at home if that’s your thing. And there are plenty of games to play at home. There’s even a quiz to see how well you know your skylines. Oh, boy, I hope I win that one.
You can livestream any number of animals. That may entertain your pets, as well. And there’s one I hadn’t thought of: Celebrities, like us, are also stuck at home. And many of them are using this time to give live performances to help lighten our moods.
There are also links to find out how to give back while staying at home. And, as always, if you get really bored, come on over to the chamber and bring your mask. We’ll share information, give you contact information about our member businesses and just chat while staying six feet apart. And you can find out how I scored on the skyline quiz. Remember, we’re better together with a little help from internet access.
Lynne Conlan is Executive Director of the Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce. Call her at 813-634-5111, or email lynne@sccchamber.com.
