Imaginary Neighbors

I was so happy to find this Papyrus card at Target. It has the perfect message for a close friend who lives much too far away:

In my imaginary neighborhood you live right next door.

Life has taken many of my favorite people to the farthest corners of the United States—and even the world. I wish we could get together more often, but thank goodness we have other ways to stay in touch until we can have proper face-to-face visits.

The friend I sent the card to and I have been talking about using Skype for ages. I admit it: I’m ridiculously slow to embrace new technologies. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just always seem to be doing something else! And there’s probably something even newer than Skype now! I just learned about a smartphone app called SnapChat that allows you to share photos and videos that self-destruct after being viewed once for up to ten seconds. Have you heard of it? (And can anything really self-destruct once it’s out in the ether?)

I really do need to start using Skype. I have friends who’ve been able to watch nieces and nephews grow from a continent away and others who’ve had a much easier time letting their college-age children study abroad knowing they could check in often with Skype.

What’s your favorite way to keep in touch with friends and family who live far away? Do you prefer to send cards and letters in the mail or have you branched out into using technology to stay connected? Have you discovered an amazing app we should know about?