Becoming a parent can shake you to the core. It can, almost instantly, change your identity, turn your daily rhythms on their sides, & force you to learn new things (whether you like it or not).
And becoming a parent can be fulfilling in unimaginable ways. You created a person. This beautiful new creature is learning and changing every day and the connection with them when you gaze into their eyes fills you with a potent combination of hope, pride and love.
Having a space to gather with other new parents, to share your story, to hear how other people are experiencing similar changes, and to gain some new tools is a game changer.
Connection combats loneliness. Connection impacts mental health, and mental health impacts the health and wellbeing of offspring.
creating hubs for connection
Recess’ mission to create spaces for folks to come together has held strong over the past 14 and a half years. As we look forward to the next 14, our goal is to create supportive gathering spaces for the sole purpose of encouraging human to human connection. Parent-child connection, Parent-parent connection, and family-family connection with resources.
reflection
I was listening to a podcast recently. Tara Brach shared a beautiful analogy to the fundamental importance of community. In talking about the dark times our country is in, currently, where a powerful few are taking away the rights of many. She says:
if there's despair, acting is the antidote.
- voting
- talking with friends
- talking and bridging with those of difference.
- writing letters.
- whatever ways you can contribute your time, money, or heart to the world.and we can't navigate the dark ages alone. we really cant.
just being with others and naming the truth of what we're feeling...it ends up creating a heart space that's large enough to hold what's going on. we need to connect.
i was in the redwoods. these massive trees. and they have very shallow roots. and what allows them to survive the winds and so on is that the root systems are completely interwoven. they hold each other up. and we need to do the same with each other.
If you’d like to listen to the whole episode, here it is.
