One of my best friends retired this year from teaching. But with the lockdown, she wasn't able to have a normal retirement party. So I got a bunch of people together on Zoom to wish her farewell and welcome her into our alumni lunch group (whenever we can finally get back to that).
I think Zoom has been a good tool for staying in touch with friends, but it definitely has its drawbacks, especially if you're working with older techno-phobes. It was a struggle getting everyone logged on at the same time (some people didn't make it). And both the guest of honor and the teacher we sent over to make sure she logged on lost track of time when they started chatting. But after a quick long distance call to her daughter in Seattle, we finally got her attention long enough to give her a toast to the next chapter of her life. What a way to start retirement!
