If the, now finished(!!), banking saga taught me one thing, it is the power of staying connected. Staying connected to my faith, to the principles I live by, and also to the rad people in my life that make challenging times enjoyable. Besides the e-mail and Facebook updates, we’ve found some fun ways to stay connected from a distance. I thought I’d share some of my favourites:
1. Playing Scrabble
Board games and best friends. It’s hard to find a better combo. Zoe and I rock out games of scrabble together via the Scrabble Free app for iPhone. My joy of just finding a word amongst the letters has now turned into valiant attempts at composing saucy seven letter words to keep Zoe on her toes. I’m learning – and am currently in the lead in one of our games. (I’m going to intentionally leave out the fact that she has won ALL 9 games we’ve played back-to-back.) I think my Dad would have a hay-day with this app if he ever traded in Zach Morris’ phone for an iPhone.
2. Lose It! Weekly Summaries
If there is one thing that tops the chart of “things that are important to me” – it’s health. As part of a friends goal to run a half-marathon, he started tracking his food intake and exercise regime via the Lose It! app and added me to the weekly summary report to help hold him accountable. Every Sunday I got an update on how he was doing. This usually provoked a conversation about exercise tips, healthy snack ideas, or about how he was feeling about his progress to date. It’s cool to watch someone go after a goal. It’s even cooler to be a part of it.
3. YouTube Cover Video Showdown
YouTube is one of the many sources I find new tunes for my Picks of the Post. In my quest for new tunes, I’ve discovered some really rad cover songs that I think need to be shared. Enter in the YouTube Cover Video Showdown. My friend Woo selects a song, I find a cover of it and post it to her Facebook, she posts another cover of the same song in rebuttal, and our pal Darran gets to decide who found the best cover. The stakes are tied at 2-2 right now in true showdown fashion.
You can join in to if you want. Comment section – best cover of “Moves Like Jagger” – go! Here’s my entry:
4. Podcast Commentary
Felicia and I used to go to the same church in Vancouver. Now, she still attends and I listen to the podcast version of the sermon. Instead of talking about the service over brunch afterward, we’ve made a weekly Skype date to talk about what we got out of the message. It gives us an opportunity to engage in dialogue about something important to us AND get a weekly update all at the same time.
5. Breakfast Together
My favourite way to wake-up is to see a smiling face staring back at me. At 6:30 in the morning, I grab a bowl of cereal, my friends grab a bowl of ice cream (its dessert time on the west coast of Canada), and we laugh and update each other in between bites. It’s a perfect start to the day and a great reminder that even when they’re miles away, they’re still here.
Great friendships know no geographic boundary.
Pick of the Post: Mat Karney – Head Or Your Heart
3 comments
2 pings
Phil Drolet says:
November 22, 2011 at 7:07 am (UTC -7)
I love the breakfast/meal together idea! Definitely the best way to find time in a busy schedule and add a dose of human sunshine into our daily life! Gonna try it out!
steve holdack says:
November 24, 2011 at 9:30 pm (UTC -7)
What great ideas Matt! Balance is a huge issue for Architecture students… its something I need to take more seriously
AJ says:
November 27, 2011 at 6:34 am (UTC -7)
Best cover of Moves Like Jagger has got to be this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffj4WeFrppg
Unique Ways to Stay Connected From A Distance | TheNewsChef says:
November 22, 2011 at 12:29 am (UTC -7)
[...] this article: Unique Ways to Stay Connected From A Distance admin posted at 2011-11-21 Category: [...]
MaXxiM » Listen to Youtube says:
November 22, 2011 at 7:01 am (UTC -7)
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