Since last spring our extended family has been doing a weekly zoom call with my grandmother. During the pandemic it was great to check in with family members from all over the country and to see her smiling at her great grandchildren on screen.

However, after a few weeks it was clear that the novelty was wearing off for our kids. They started to just pop in to say hi, show off artwork or Lego creations, and then run off and play. And now, it is clear that pausing every Sunday afternoon is becoming increasingly challenging as everyone fills their schedules up with more activities.

As we start to recover from the past year and get ready for the summer ahead, it is not always easy to decide which positive routines from pandemic life we want to keep and which we want to stop or alter. Maybe our family will change the timing of these zoom calls or their frequency. Maybe once a month or special occasions is more appropriate as everyone resumes many of their pre-covid outings.

How do we take the routines that helped us during covid and combine them with old routines we’ve missed out on? I’m excited to see which of the comforting routines from the past year stay in our lives for years to come, even if we need to alter them a bit.