Making Friends During a Pandemic

We met new friends at the park today- by the most random chance.

Now I'll start by saying that when we typically go to the park I'm distracted by a book, computer, or phone- sometimes all three. However, today I told myself I was going to be present- play, not just supervise. Vivian needed that, and so did I, so I told myself the studying could wait. What I could accomplish in 45 minutes at the park could be done after she went to bed.

A few minutes after we got to the park another mother and daughter arrived I briefly overheard the mom on the phone and tried not to listen. I couldn't help wanting to just love on her. It didn't take long for Vivian to ask the other little girl to play, and I was pushed to the side- but I was okay with that. It was nice to see her playing with someone else her age; the pandemic has made socializing more than a little difficult for her.

I happened to glance up and noticed the other mom was off the phone, so in typical Samantha fashion, I acted on impulse. I walked across the playground to introduce myself to the other mom, and after saving myself from an almost ever-so-graceful faceplant, I yelled, "Hi, I'm Samantha!". I continued walking over to her, plopping down all cozy next to her on the bench, and continued with, "I know this is a little weird, but we're going to get ice cream after this. Would you like to join us?" She responded, "yes, we'll join you!"

I'll be honest, I was a little surprised she said yes because I have a tendency to come off a little intense, and it can feel a little suffocating. I really wasn't sure how she would process the whole thing, but we continued chatting, and shortly after our conversation, we gathered the girls and went up the street to get ice cream from a local spot, not too far up the road. When we got there, I learned she was an amazingly-strong woman. She also shared that she was 6 months pregnant and didn't have any support at all. As she told me her story, it was difficult for me not to think there was a reason I got the impulsive urge at the park to run over and suffocate her with all my Samanthaness.

A year ago, I was so absorbed in my own emotions I wasn't able to pay attention to others. so you see, everything is guiding us to learn and grow, and everything is happening in exactly the order we need it to happen. We go through things and heal from them to help other people go through their hard days, too. People need people, and if someone hasn't prayed for help with every ounce of their heart, the exact same way we have, then we can't expect them to know how to show up with the intensity needed. We can't blame people or be mad at others for not saving us in the way we needed to be saved because we're all facing different battles- so we show up the best we can, with what we know.

When we live, lead, and show up for our life, grounded in that belief system, then we can face difficult moments with purpose, power, and the ability to focus on growth and love. The uncomfortable moments are revealing what we need to heal. Showing up to uncomfortable and painful things we don't want to work through and act on are moments that are meant to teach us. They're the moments that teach us how to show up for others.

We met new friends today- that's the takeaway. <3