Before this pandemic my relationship with technology was tense. I relied on it, of course, but resented it for distracting and isolating myself and the people I love. Now, everything has changed. Every day I observe the critical role it plays in preserving people’s sense of connection to the world. My grandma, quarantined alone in her condo, Face Times my mom daily to talk. I shudder to think what it would be like if she were to go these many weeks without looking someone in the eye while she talks to them. Technology like this, which I once considered a luxury, has now become an essential coping mechanism. A tool for survival. Despite the inevitable glitches and spotty wifi, video calls are a near perfect substitute for inviting someone into our home. My friends and I pour drinks in our independent kitchens, many miles apart, but drink them together like we always have. For beautiful, fleeting moments, it’s like the pandemic never happened and they are right there with me. I choose to illustrate moments like these because I believe in a crisis like this, where the big picture is so staggeringly bleak, it is too easy to forget that there are many small moments happening all over that are lovely.I look forward to sitting on a couch with my grandma. I look forward to getting my life back and seeing it with new eyes, but until then I am grateful and in awe of the technology that is sustaining me and the people I love.