It's not the same as an actual reunion, but it's still connecting.
It's not the same as an actual reunion, but it's still connecting.
YOU shouldn't need an excuse to keep in contact with family and friends, but a lot of the time it really helps - especially if there's some gamesmanship involved.
In my case, the Fifa World Cup has provided a group of around 30 of us, comprising family and childhood friends,an opportunity to stay in constant communication through a sports draw.
The fascinating thing is that although the results of the draw, and the accumulated points, have minimal skill input - it's largely luck - the spirit of competition and bragging rights leads to wild and cheerful claims of prodigious football knowledge from the winners.
You discover, among people you haven't spoken to in years, how many frustrated writers, journalists and comedic writers there are among your group, judging by the clever and barbed insults flying back and forth by email.
I mean, I am a journalist, but I would be hard-pushed to top the turn of phrase from some of the competitors.
You also marvel at how much time some people have. I've discovered names, and seen photos, of children of old friends, who are also in the draw (one of them, annoyingly, has consistently topped the table).
When all this is over, and I've won, and declared myself el supremo in terms of devastating football knowledge, I will certainly be the richer in the knowledge of what our extended family and friends have been up to and how their children are doing.
Sometimes it's hard to stay in contact, even with your own family and busy lives.
The beauty of email - provided one person can at least co-ordinate it - means that suddenly you have an entire clan checking their emails in the morning, bonding over insults and laughter. It's not the same as an actual reunion, but it's still connecting.
I strongly recommend, for next year's rugby World Cup, giving it a go.
Your relatives, or wayward uncommunicative overseas kids might be hopeless at staying in contact, but very few can resist a competition.
