When the pandemic started, my baby was 5 months old.
I felt like I had finally gotten through the worst of my anxiety about being a new mother and felt ready to return to work. I was a nurse. My first two weeks back at work were filled with complex emotions of finding my balance as a working mom. Then suddenly March 16th, 2020 rolled around and it seemed our world was turned upside down.
Any balance I was starting to find was immediately taken away as my husband was laid off. Our daycare shut down. I suddenly felt the weight of being a new mother, sole wage earner, and more importantly, insurance carrier, but I was terrified to the point of panic attacks on my way to work, scared of what I might bring home to my baby.
A breath of fresh air
Then one day, my husband came up with the idea to pack up some lunch and go to this tiny little park a few miles from our house. We packed up the baby and a blanket and spread out on a soft patch of grass in the sun. On the other side of the park, another family smiled at us, their toddler wobbling around the grass. It seemed others had this idea too!
We continued this routine a few times a week, often seeing this same family. Over the weeks, we slowly moved our blankets closer together, and eventually were in speaking distance. We started chatting about all things parenting. These outings became an escape from the stress of the world. Becoming a new parent is isolating enough, but throw in a pandemic where no one wants to be around you because you’re a nurse, and it’s downright depressing!
Inviting others
Eventually, we stopped seeing the other family but realized this might be the perfect opportunity to meet up with some friends we’d been missing. We grew so fond of these little meals. We would each bring a blanket and would take turns bringing a meal. It might sound silly, but this simple act of sharing a meal with a friend made me feel so human again. It was a break from the craziness of the world, where we could focus on our little family and our routines. 2020 raged on, yet we continued finding new places to visit and new foods to try! We joked that we were connoisseurs of a park/ restaurant’s “picnic-ability.”
Returning to a new normal
I firmly believe that these tiny moments that we carved into our weekly routines are what got us through 2020. I felt like I connected to my husband and to friends in a way I hadn’t in a long time.
My daughter took her first steps over a plate of take-out nachos during one of our later picnics.
The first time I hugged my mom in over 6 months was at a picnic in a rose garden.
In retrospect, I feel so grateful for these little moments. We had time with our friends with no distractions – no screens, no place to be – just a waterproof blanket, a plate of chicken wings, and good company!
Jenn Chen is a family and newborn photographer in Walnut Creek California. She uses her experiences as a mom of 2 toddlers to help young kids enjoy their photography sessions! You can follow her on Instagram and her website.
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