Something I've found helpful for keeping friends, even over a distance: have a regularly scheduled excuse to talk, even if it's only over the phone. Video chat can be good if it's an option. The main thing is to make it the same time every week/month/quarter/year so that folks can plan around it. Some of the excuses that have worked for me:
1) Monthly D&D game (first in-person, then moved to Zoom) 2) Monthly/Bi-Monthly whiskey tasting night (helps if you have a knowledgeable friend to run it!) 3) Weekly history book club - agree on a book, read a chapter a week, then discuss 4) Quarterly-ish zoom happy hour with friends I used to work with 5) Annual campout 6) Annual holiday party (my wife and I have thrown a New Year's Eve party most years, because it's our anniversary)
Besides the regularity, it helps to have some hard and fast rules like "the event happens if at least X people show up" or "we can reschedule if a majority of people invited all agree on a new time". Stuff comes up, folks can't always make it every time, but you might be surprised how often how many make the time.
The last year and a half have been rough on all of these, they've been all the more appreciated and helpful when we've made them work.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2021-10-05 06:22 pm (UTC)1) Monthly D&D game (first in-person, then moved to Zoom)
2) Monthly/Bi-Monthly whiskey tasting night (helps if you have a knowledgeable friend to run it!)
3) Weekly history book club - agree on a book, read a chapter a week, then discuss
4) Quarterly-ish zoom happy hour with friends I used to work with
5) Annual campout
6) Annual holiday party (my wife and I have thrown a New Year's Eve party most years, because it's our anniversary)
Besides the regularity, it helps to have some hard and fast rules like "the event happens if at least X people show up" or "we can reschedule if a majority of people invited all agree on a new time". Stuff comes up, folks can't always make it every time, but you might be surprised how often how many make the time.
The last year and a half have been rough on all of these, they've been all the more appreciated and helpful when we've made them work.