Human connection isn’t just necessary for survival, it’s essential for our overall wellbeing. Belonging to a community helps us feel safe enough to share our authentic selves. Knowing that we will be unconditionally cared for, we relinquish our fears and find compassion for ourselves and empathy for others.
Today, I felt this renewed sense of community togetherness as I led an admissions tour for my daughter’s school. Teachers warmly welcomed me to campus. My daughter’s friends shouted friendly hellos as I walked from class to class. Fellow parents greeted me with kind words and firm handshakes. Simply put, I felt at home.
This feeling of home has become ever more sacred, especially during this era of COVID. For many of us, the Summer of 2020 was abysmal. In my case, again like many of us, I was unable to see family and lifelong friends. I longed for hugs, mask-free smiles, and connection in general.
But before I go any further, let me tell you a story.
As you know, I live with my family in San Francisco, but I grew up in a very small town off the coast of Maine. This town is so small that everybody knows everybody, kind of like Stars Hollow from Gillmore Girls. Yes, idyllic New England towns really do exist.
So last summer, I was lucky enough to travel back to Maine and reconnect. Quickly, I realized that I had forgotten how much I had truly missed these people. My conversations were so much more meaningful because we all felt the burden of time lost to the pandemic. Needless to say, it was deeply rewarding as my family and friends collectively celebrated being together again. Thus, I decided to bring this renewed appreciation of community back into my daily life in San Francisco.
How, you ask? I reconnected every chance I got. I called up old friends out of the blue. I took walks with college buddies. I reached out to former colleagues on Facebook and Instagram, asking to get together for a coffee.
But I didn’t stop there.
I started to casually chat up my regular grocery checkout clerks. I tried initiating a friendly conversation about literature with the people at my local book store on 24th Street. Then, I really stepped out of my comfort zone. I debated hip hop vs Motown with an aspiring dancer at Urban Remedy. Can you believe he had never heard of Stevie Wonder?!
In other words, I started building stronger ties in my own local community, and let me tell you, it has changed me for the better. Why? Because now my mindset is different. I no longer hide behind my iPhone while walking down the street or waiting in line for groceries. Now, I am eager to connect.
Lastly, I’ve become even more grateful for the other many women who have helped me feel safe and supported. Specifically, I remain truly appreciative of local mom’s groups like San Francisco Bay Area Moms. Relating with like-minded mothers saved my sanity during those first sleep-deprived months of childrearing. So now I strongly encourage you, mothers of san Francisco, to be brave and connect with each other. We need your wisdom, kindness, and kinship now more than ever.
