Let’s face it, momming can be lonely.
Even before the restrictions that the pandemic and quarantine added to our lives, being a mom often felt isolating.
The demands of daily life combined with the logistics that are required to leave my kids for a dentist appointment, let alone anything recreational like a happy hour or movie with the girls, make cultivating and maintaining adult friendships a challenge.
I mean, I had my inner circle of mom friends
You know those gals that communicate mostly via texts consisting of frustrated emojis and the occasional picture of a pile of laundry or the lipstick mural that the 2-year-old just finished drawing on the living room wall?
Those relationships, while comforting in a motherhood-is-a-crazy-sh!t-show, camaraderie kind of way, still left me feeling lonely.
About a year ago, my bestie, who lives a few hours away, begged me to download this app called Marco Polo. She explained that we could send videos to each other and chat, and it would be a “really great way to stay in touch.”
I was less than impressed by her description
Send videos? Hello?! My initial thought was that my phone already takes videos, and honestly, the last thing I need is a recording of my eye bags and bird's nest hair floating around.
Coming from the place of hating FaceTime and most phone conversations, this app sounded less than thrilling to me.
Yet, a BFF is nothing if not game to appease her gal pal by humoring her through her current idea or obsession.
I clicked "Download" and sent my first awkward video message
She excitedly replied and told me about her day so far.
When I had a chance, I responded with the mundane events of my day including but not limited to: my frustration over running out of coffee creamer, my dilemma over whether or not to wash my hair or wait yet another day, and my confession of continuing to “fluff” the clothes in the dryer to delay folding them.
Man! It felt good to actually talk to another human over the age of 6! While there wasn’t the give and take of a regular conversation, there also wasn’t the screaming kid interruptions or distractions that undoubtedly would have been a reality in an actual phone call.
On top of that, for the first time in a long time, I got to just spill my guts to another person and feel heard… well, eventually heard, but listened to all the same.
I quickly became a Marco Polo fan
The real beauty of this app is the fact that I can record a "Polo" when I have a moment and then my bestie can listen at her convenience. There’s no need to coordinate a time to chat.
I’ve been known to prop my phone up and send a Polo while folding laundry or eating breakfast. I can listen to messages as I drive (no need to watch — we both stopped caring about makeup and camera angles long ago). I stick my AirPods in every night to get my update as I make dinner, and I enjoy listening to the detailed recap of her day as I finally sink into the bath.
At a time in our lives when having an actual conversation is near impossible, we’ve somehow found a way to be in near-constant communication, Updating each other throughout the day on those little things that are actually important.
Those things that I used to just wish I could share with someone at that very moment.
And, thanks to Marco Polo, now I can.
