WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WTKR)— A family from Williamsburg, Virginia, found a bottle that had been floating in the York River for the last four decades.

In 1978, a 12-year-old boy from Poquoson threw a Pepsi bottle into the Poquoson River with a note inside.

The bottle traveled 30 miles over 40 years before ending up in the hands of Brian Daliege, who was out boating with his family on the York River on the Fourth of July.

"My son and I were collecting old bottles, and he had already found a couple," Daliege explained. "I happened to see this one on a 4-foot. little cliff, if you will, on the edge of the river."

"Knowing it was an older embossed glass bottle, your imagination kind of runs wild at this point to as to how old it could be," Daliege added.

The family took to social media, posting pictures to try to find the owner — and they did, a moment Daliege describes as "full circle."

Thursday, Daliege met up with the bottle's sender, Don Kendrick, and returned the bottle.

"We’re the first people to hold the bottle since it left his hand 44 years ago," Daliege said.

This story was originally reported by Ellen Ice on wtkr.com.

Office water cooler conversations are being replaced with instant messages and emojis.

It's a change many American workers are embracing, according to a January survey commissioned by Slack.

"It's giving people value," said Jaime DeLanghe, Slack's senior principal of project management. "People are taking the tools they have in social media, or in texting with their friends, and bringing them into a work context."

Seventy percent of people who responded to the survey said they prefer when co-workers communicate informally, and that it helps people avoid miscommunication.

Companies are "really moving from the formal, calcified processes," according to DeLanghe. "They're moving to much more casual, always-on, always-available chat. They're able to resolve issues more quickly, they have much better client outcomes, and they're able to build stronger relationships over the long term."

The changes go beyond a simpler sentence structure.

Sixty-six percent of people said the use of emoji and GIFs in conversation helped them feel more authentic. Seventy-eight percent said the new tools make work feel more friendly and inclusive.

"You can actually communicate business-critical ideas with emoji," DeLanghe said. "Some people use emoji as a read receipt on a large announcement. Instead of saying, 'I got this,' you can just give a green check or a thumbs up. Or maybe you're taking care of your kids, so you change your status to include a family. Those small touches, I think, make people feel much more like they're part of the team."

The shift is revealing what people dislike about office communication, as well.

Almost two-thirds of people said they find it "off-putting" to see workplace jargon in messages.

The worst offenders are phrases like "just checking in," "team player," and "keep me in the loop."

However, nearly everyone surveyed, 89%, said they use similar jargon in their workplace.

"They're using it to sound smarter," DeLanghe said. "They want to feel more professional, they want to feel more impressive, but they don't like being on the receiving end of that. They just want to get to the point."

Those phrases can carry over into workplace relationships.

"It was quite amazing to see how many people who worked remotely had a clear dislike of a coworker because of their communication habits," DeLanghe said. "And I don't think it was surprising. Everyone has had a leader where they could pull out their jargon bingo card and they're like, 'OK, how many times are they going to say X, Y or Z here?'"

There are still places for formality in the workplace, according to DeLanghe. She pointed to large group chats and chats with company leadership as two instances that require a more refined tone.

She also suggested starting separate threads for business-critical conversations and low-key chats.

"You can have fun in one space, but know that if you have something really critical that you need to take action against, it's in a different place," DeLanghe said. "Reading the digital room is sort of the most important thing to keep in mind."

Andrea Arriaga Borges tested positive for COVID-19 on May 19, 2021. The mother of five said she had no underlying health issues, does not have asthma and does not smoke.

Six days later, she asked her husband to call 911 when she couldn't breathe or walk.

The last thing she remembers is talking to family before being intubated at the hospital.

"That's all I remember," she said. "And then I was in a coma for two months."

Borges had to undergo multiple blood transfusions and a tracheotomy, lost her motor skills and had to re-learn how to walk.

She missed one of her daughter's high school graduations.

"The doctors told my kids and my husband I wasn't going to make it," she said, with tears in her eyes.

After four months in multiple hospitals, she said her doctors were shocked by her recovery and ability to be sent home.

Borges was not vaccinated when she tested positive for COVID-19.

"I was against the vaccine," she said. "After going through what I went through, I don't wish that upon anybody."

She is now fully vaccinated against the virus.

Her four-month battle inspired her husband, children and her friends to get the vaccine as well.

"We would never think it would happen to us," Debeie York, Borges' best friend said. "You hear about other people and until it hits close to home, that's when it really sounds the alarm. You go, 'Oh, this is real.'"

Borges believes it is a miracle that she will be home with her family for her holidays.

She encourages anyone who is unsure or against the vaccine to educate themselves and talk to their doctors.

"For my own sanity and peace of mind, it just made me feel better to know that at least there's a layer of protection," she said. "I hope that whoever's watching this that is young and healthy, it's not that it won't even happen to you, because it could."

Watch the video above for the full story.