Keep in Touch with Anna & Kate

While Anna and I are pretty outgoing, not all of our friends are as extroverted or in need of social interaction as we are. To get some perspective on this, we decided to chat with Anna's friend Erin, a self-proclaimed introvert, about what interaction is like for her and how we can better support our more introverted friends. We remind ourselves that each person is different when it comes to friendships - some may prefer large group settings or one-on-one, some may want to meet up once a week and others every couple months. Whatever the preference is, knowing your own needs and those of your friends will definitely make for a stronger relationship!

While maybe not as easy during pandemic life, one great way to meet new people and create new friendships is through athletic groups. This episode, we talk to our friend Emily about her experiences with sports groups and particularly with the roller derby community in Portland. We talk about the ways in which shared vulnerability and learning something new together can inherently create stronger bonds. We also learn so many surprising things about derby and how they have kept those strong bonds of the community going even when they don't get to sweat on each other!

As states begin to re-open and we return to some semblance of "normal" life, we wanted to take a moment to appreciate all the amazing ways that people supported their friends, families and communities during stay-at-home life. We also wanted to share our gratitude for our listeners and for the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas about keeping in touch and staying connected. We discovered that Kate loves the word "community" - bonus points if you can count how many times it's said in this episode!

Becoming a mom can certainly change the dynamic with friendships and making new friends, so we wanted to explore the opportunities and challenges of connecting with friends after having kids. In this episode, we check in with Kate's friend Hawley, a mom of four currently living in Alabama who homeschools her kids. We talk about the ways to make friends and maintain friendships when you have multiple kids (and also when you move a lot, as she has done). We also discuss some of the opportunities for friendship and connection within the homeschool community. We reflect on the importance of keeping in touch with friends in whatever ways we have the capacity to, cutting ourselves some slack for those moments when we aren't able to give a friend the time and attention we would like.

While Anna and I keep in touch between Texas and San Francisco, we know that there are others out there keeping in touch from much longer distances apart. In this episode, we connect with Anna's friend Niiamah who is from the US and is currently living in Singapore. In light of current events happening in the states with respect to racial injustice, we talk about how much of our connecting right now is focused on this topic. Niiamah shares with us some of his experience of growing up black in the states, and how that experience has changed since moving to Singapore. We acknowledge that having conversations about racism is difficult, uncomfortable and messy, but it is through these types of candid, vulnerable conversations that we can learn and grow together and better support our friends and communities who need our help.

Since we're all riding the struggle bus these days, we thought it was important to check in on our mental health and explore the ways that we can take care of ourselves and others as we figure out how to navigate life during a pandemic. We talk with Anna's longtime friend Darren, a mental health counselor for university students, about the strains that stay-at-home life and the transition from "normal" has on our mental health. We remind ourselves that we are all in this together and emphasize the need for graciousness and forgiveness for ourselves and others.

In this episode we explore the challenges of living alone and creating a new individual identity when moving on from a long-term relationship, which are further intensified by the current conditions of self-isolation. We check in with Senem, a friend of Anna's from college, and learn how she is coping with living alone in NY during stay-at-home orders. We also discuss her journey of re-branding herself and exploring her family history as a part of framing her identity. We discuss ways we can support our friends during this time, especially those who are isolating alone. We also remind ourselves that, especially during these strange times, waving hello to a stranger or sending a quick note to a friend can go a long way to improving someone's day!

Thinking about taking a chance on a new experience or meeting new people? In this episode we check in with Anna's friend from high school "nerd camp," Brenda. We talk to Brenda about recently reconnecting with Anna and deciding to take a chance and go on one of Anna's group trips with a bunch of new people. We also talk about the challenges of connecting virtually, and agree on the value of expectation management when exploring new ways to meet people. 

After more than a month of stay-at-home life, we check in with each other to see how things are going in our respective cities and what new activities we have been doing to keep busy. We discuss the challenges of enormous puzzles, the joys of composting and gardening at home, and Anna's awesome Recipe Exchange group. Kate drinks a fancy juice and Anna recommends Goat-to-meetings for those wanting to have a cute animal join their video conference call. We reminisce about our trip to Africa and dik-dik pics. We discuss the importance of self-care and also checking in on friends and loved ones to see how they are doing during this time. 

As Stay-at-Home life continues, we are back to offer more ideas for how to stay sane and stay connected during this challenging time. We also have some follow-ups on activities from Part I that we tried with varying degrees of success (spoiler alert, Kate will not be completing the 5,000 piece puzzle), and reflect on the creativity and value of ideas coming out of this time that we hope to carry forward beyond our self-isolation.