Yeah, I know. I’ve been pretty much invisible for the past couple of months. No excuses. Just absolutely did not have the motivation to communicate with the outer world. Granted I’ve been teaching my classes at The University of Tampa…online…but that’s kind of been it. Oh, and a couple of pretty cool webinars…one for PRSA on ethics and another for PRSA New Professionals on the challenges and changes being brought about by the pandemic.

But no human-to-human interaction, and for a veteran introvert like me, that is most definitely not a good thing. I’ve written countless letters to the editor of both the Tampa Bay TImes and the Taipei Times, and I’m nearly finished with the first draft of an article for the PRSA New Pros newsletter. And a bazillion Zoom meetings with students and other folks around the globe. Again, no actual human contact involved.

And that’s the way a lot of folks are operating now. It’s not “normal,” but it is going to be the “new normal.” Remote is going to be the standard operating procedure for just about every type of business. Granted there are those activities…the military, law enforcement, top government folks come to mind…that simply can’t not operate virtually all the time. Colleges and universities…and grade schools…are heading back to “real-life/real-time” learning. But for the bulk of the universe, the transition is underway.

I keep reassuring myself (with little-to-no success) that I’m at that age where I really can do whatever I want. But I really thrive on the “vibes” of people around me, conversations going a mile a minute. It’s where I draw my own energy and, inevitably, creative thinking. As I semi-jokingly say to anyone who asks, “I’m a vampire. I need fresh blood around me to keep me going.”

So, we’ll see and time will tell. In the meantime, I encourage you to reach out when you, yourself, feel a need for human interaction. And, as I told the moderator for a recent webinar for which I was a participant, “I have a definite tendency to ramble on…and on…so don’t hesitate to tell me to shut up when you’ve heard enough.” (And, bless his heart, he did just that!)

Ciao for now, my friends. Hope to see you on the screen as well as in person when the time is right!