Let’s Keep In Touch (For Real This Time)

The phrase “Let’s keep in touch” never really seemed to mean much, in my view. I’ve seen people say this to each other many times, and in many contexts. Friends, family members, dates, students and professors...the list goes on. Yet somehow, nine times out of ten, that doesn’t happen. It’s almost as if the phrase has become a “Get Out of Jail Free” card for politely telling someone you never want to talk to them again.
But what happens to “let’s keep in touch” when you can’t physically see people? How are people supposed to maintain their relationships without being in the same rooms and situations? Turns out, the answer is actually keeping in touch. Distance and virtual forms of contact - letters, phone calls, texts, video chats, etc. - have turned into something not optional anymore. Video chat platforms in particular seem to be having a Renaissance these days. In the past months, I’ve experienced regular calls, virtual game nights, virtual open mics, virtual exercise classes, and held my office hours and delivered a singing exam over Zoom. I’ve also heard the phrase “let’s keep in touch” between various social groups I have. And people have followed through on it, something much rarer before the pandemic.
        In the spirit of keeping in touch, I’ve hung out virtually and physically with my friends Sunaina and Liza. Our first hangout, over spring break, was a successful hybrid of virtual and in person. Actually “keeping in touch,” for the three of us as well as many others, has become an important form of self-care, a vital consideration more than ever. As Liza put it, “Self-care is not optional anymore.”

The Key Lime Pie

Virtual or hybrid “keeping in touch” doesn’t even have to look that different from in-person activities. When Liza, Sunaina, and I hang out, almost inevitably that involves good food. We often eat meals over Zoom or FaceTime, or snack, or cook in tandem while talking. Our first virtual meeting was no different: Sunaina and I made a Key lime pie in my house, with Liza cheering us on from FaceTime. “Let’s keep in touch” is becoming a genuine phrase again, and is our best way of maintaining the connections that give us our humanity. From now on, I’ll think of that every time I eat a slice of Key lime pie.

Key Lime Pie: Makes a 6-8” pie

Ingredients:

1 packet Key lime pie mix*
4 oz. water
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
Pie crust, pre-prepared or homemade depending on your style
Whipped cream for topping, again premade or homemade

Combine the mix and water in a bowl and whisk until the mix is dissolved. Add sweetened condensed milk, and stir until well combined with the mix and smooth. Pour the filling into your pie crust, and refrigerate until it’s set. Setting should take about half an hour, but it will solidify more over time if you have leftovers. Serve topped with whipped cream.

* = I gave a mix from the Florida Keys to Sunaina for Christmas 2019. Unfortunately, I do not know how to make a Key lime pie filling from scratch.