The pandemic forced many of us into spending unexpected, extended periods of time with unfamiliar neighbors, family members or strangers. Many of these connections progressed into deep friendships and other kinds of bonds, and have continued to grow and evolve as society has reopened.

Did your relationship with a family member get better because of the time you spent at home? Did estranged or distanced family members reconnect? Maybe you finally met your next-door neighbor, perhaps cooking or running errands for each other. Did isolation help you build up the courage to talk to a stranger or put you in a position to meet someone new, like a spouse or partner?

Once your community started to open up, did you incorporate these new relationships into your life, or did they replace your earlier social circles? Or, did they end? What did you learn in that process?