Megan Byrd

Writer

relationships

Social Distancing and Friendship (Part 9)

The lack of in-person social interactions has been challenging and somewhat frustrating. I definitely hit a wall at one point this past month. We’re all navigating new territory, so a lot of grace and patience are needed. I know, for us, a new level of creativity has been reached to find ways to interact with others.

03-26-20

I signed the kids up for Messenger Kids to try to give them some social time with other kids. Today they spent some  time trying to figure out what  it does and who they can chat with.

A woman I met at the NaNoWriMo library celebration event in December messaged me to see if my kids wanted an unopened Dominoes play set. She dropped it off at our mailbox today. We said “hi” from a distance, of course. I stuck it in my room to save for when the kids need something new to help pass all of our at-home time.

03-27-20

The kids are enjoying their virtual connections with friends.

03-29-20

I saw R1’s vehicle when I went to the grocery store but learned it was her husband doing the shopping. I hadn’t seen him while I was in the store. I dropped off a book at her front door. She came out to her second-story balcony and we talked for a couple of minutes before I headed home to unload the groceries.

03-30-20

I texted some with R1 and K4.

03-31-20

I emailed back and forth with R1 today. I talked on the phone with a GA friend.

04-01-20

Today I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I’ve been doing pretty well with the whole stay-at-home thing but now I am in a blah, slightly depressed frame of mind. I miss my weekday alone time. I am not spending time on writing and I miss it. Maybe that’s the key for me.

04-05-20

An ATL friend texted me to see if I wanted to walk and talk on the phone tomorrow, kind of like the hikes we used to take, so that’s on the docket. I’ve continued to Voxer with R1 to catch up.

04-06-20

I walked and talked on the phone with my friend from GA. That was enjoyable.

04-07-20

We dropped treats off at the L’s house. We talked a little bit from about thirty feet apart. I think the kids enjoyed getting to see them in person.

In the evening we played Drawful with some GA friends. Adam figured out how to get everyone to see the screen and we played three rounds. It was a lot of fun, though it wasn’t quite as good as being face-to-face with them.

04-13-20

R1 and I Voxered some yesterday. It was nice to hear her voice again. My GA friend suggested we walk and talk on Wednesday. Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can do that.

04-17-20

I Voxered with R1 throughout the week.

04-18-20

We played Drawful with our GA friends again.

04-19-20

Kaitlyn and I did a yoga stretch exercise session on FB live with an instructor from our YMCA. I sent Voxer messages to R1 while I walked the loop around my house.

04-21-20

I checked in with R1 as I hadn’t heard from her all weekend. It was nice to connect again.

There have been lots of virtual connections over the past month. It has been nice connecting some with old friends in Georgia. Right now any connection is good for my mental health. How have you been connecting with your friends?

Virtual Church (Part 9)

COVID-19 has seriously affected our desire to make connections in a local faith community. While it’s nice that technology allows us to experience church online, it’s not even close to the same as meeting in person each week. I am grateful that we had four weeks of life groups to make some initial connections, but it’s hard to grow deeper without the face-to-face interactions. I really hope that we are able to resume life groups by the fall so that we can continue to search for connections in our new church.

03-27-20

C6 and I Facetimed again this morning for our weekly meeting. They seem to be doing well, but she’ll have to go out for groceries soon. Her sister and other friends life in NYC which is concerning.

03-29-20

We had virtual church this morning. We chose to watch our old church’s service. The kids had a video for them to watch for church.

03-30-20

I texted some with C7 today.

04-03-20

I Facetimed with C6 this morning and we prayed and shared how our weeks had gone.

04-05-20

We watched church from our couch again. The kids watched their church video.

04-10-20

I Facetimed with C6 and we caught up on our weeks, ending the call in prayer.

04-11-20

I texted with T5 from life group. It’s her daughter’s birthday today. We sent books via Amazon for her kids in honor of the occasion. I’ve also been keeping up some with C7.

04-17-20

I wished C7 a happy birthday yesterday.

04-19-20

We watched church on the couch again. Our pastor’s backyard looks very inviting. I’m curious who owns the house the worship band records out of.

04-22-20

I mailed C7 a belated birthday card. When I asked for her address, it sounded familiar. I looked through my photos from house-hunting this past summer and realized that we looked at a house right across the street from them. We could have been neighbors! That would have been really awesome for this current strange time we’re in.

04-24-20

I didn’t have my weekly Facetime call with C6 because she had something come up. Hopefully, we will resume next week.

Our church sent out a form for people interested in leading a Life Group over the summer. I guess they are being optimistic and proactive. Our summers often involve travel that it’s hard to commit to anything with a weekly commitment. I would like to lead one in the fall to meet more people. We will see.

Have you been attending church online? Have you checked out other church services besides your regular church? Are you able to focus and worship as well as you did when you met at a building? Are you doing anything on your own to connect with God?

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Part 9)

This has been our first whole month of staying at home full-time. Thankfully, the weather has been nice more days than not and we’ve been able to be outside a lot. It has given us lots of face time with our neighbors, which is nice. It also helped me to meet someone new who lives down the street. We also got a glimpse at the only people in our neighborhood we haven’t yet met. I am thankful that we do live somewhere where we can see other people from time-to-time. I think it would be harder to be more physically secluded from all people.

03-26-20

Yesterday was a sunny day so the kids and I walked the loop and saw neighbor K2.

We were outside this afternoon enjoying the sun and I saw K2 again as well as K1, S1, and B2. We all stayed a safe distance away from one another while we talked.

03-27-20

The kids and I went for a walk at the Arboretum to have some outside time since it’s gorgeous outside and we have a pass. The parking lot was full and we saw about two dozen people but spaced far apart. We saw K2 before and after our trip and I reported on the people situation at the Arboretum.

03-29-20

Adam and I went walking this afternoon. We saw K1 from a distance and waved Yesterday I saw K2 outside multiple times. She was enjoying the warm weather.

03-30-20

The kids and I were outside in the afternoon but didn’t see anyone. Our state is on mandatory lockdown (except for essential trips) as of five o’clock tonight. The Arboretum is now closed so there isn’t anywhere close to hike/walk. We will carry on.

04-05-20

Adam and I walked the loop and saw J2 and B1 outside. While watering the berry bushes I saw S1 and we talked for a little bit.

04-06-20

The kids and I were outside for awhile. I saw T1, K2, B1, K1, and S1 all out enjoying the sunny day.

04-07-20

Today the kids and I dropped off treats at a couple of our neighbors’ houses and I texted them so they knew.

04-10-20

We received a thank you note from one of the neighbors for the treats we dropped off.

04-17-20

Today the kids and I took a walk around the loop before lunch. Our elderly neighbor at the end of the street stopped us to chat for a bit. It was his first time meeting the kids. I’d met him at the HOA meeting in December.

In the evening, our family went outside to play basketball. We saw and chatted with D1 and M1 (L2 ran ahead). We also saw T2. She said J5 was on the list for NC State and got into UNCC, but it might not matter if schools aren’t open in the fall. We will see what happens in the next few months.

04-18-20

Adam and I walked the loop today. We talked to K1 when we passed her. We also saw S2 and S1 and said hi.

04-19-20

I went for a walk because it’s gorgeous out today and I needed some fresh air. I saw J7 down the street. I decided to walk the new loop and as I was walking along the road a dauschund started barking and running toward me from a driveway. His owner was running after him. I moved to block the dog from reaching the road but he stopped about ten feet away, laid down, and the owner picked him up. I said that I thought she had two girls that rode the bus and she confirmed she has a 2nd and 3rd grader. I pointed to where we lived and said mine are in 1st and 4th. I introduced myself and learned her name is S7 and she is a hairstylist who also works at the Marco’s Pizza we frequent. She is from AZ and used to homeschool the girls. I think when we can stand closer together again, we’ll all go say hello. Maybe the kids would enjoy playing together. We will see. I saw two other strangers while walking. J4 stopped by me in his car to say thanks for the treats. A very social walk.

04-21-20

Adam saw a cat on our back deck that looked like the one I’d received an email about from the HOA who was missing last week. I called S1 to see if it was still missing. She said she’d call the owners, who share part of a fence with us but we’ve never met because their driveway faces the road. Adam got the cat into our screened-in porch and read off the phone number from the cat’s collar. I called the owner directly and asked what he wanted us to do. He said that they’d been letting the cat out some and to let it go as they were headed back toward their house. We saw a man with a kid on his shoulders and a woman with a dog behind our fence near the road. When we let the cat go, it headed toward the back corner of our fence nearest its house.

How has your month gone? Have you seen more of your neighbors since nearly everyone is home these days? Have you met anyone new?

Friendships: Part 8

This part of our search for community has gone the best thus far. With our shelter-at-home order from the governor mid-month, we will have to be creative in further developing our current relationships.

02-26-20

I saw R1 at the gym this morning and talked to her a bit since we haven’t seen each other since last Thursday.

I texted K4 to see if the family wanted to come over for dinner on Saturday. She said that they can come. The kids will be excited when we tell them.

02-28-20

I headed to the gym from Life Group. I saw N1 on my way in and we talked for a few minutes. She asked where I’ve been and I said I’ve been writing. I then saw R1. We briefly discussed how far we wanted to get into the book we’re getting ready to read together and said tentatively we’d meet on Tuesday. I also saw J3 and said a quick hi to her. E1 and I texted back and forth this morning.

We went to dinner at a pizza place and I saw a woman who looked familiar. A little while later I realized that it was a woman from the library writing group. I went over and said hi. She was there with another meetup group.

02-29-20

We had the Ls over for dinner. The boys annoyed their older sisters for a while but things eventually calmed down. We ate dinner and then taught E4 and K4 how to play a family card game. They seemed to enjoy it. It was an enjoyable evening.

03-02-20

I texted with R1 and we set up a meeting time for tomorrow.

03-03-20

I met R1 at the Y and we walked over to Mosaic for smoothies and to discuss the first chapter of the new book we’re reading together.

03-06-20

I saw A4 at the library and said hey. She was busy so we didn’t talk long.

While waiting to pick Kaitlyn up from her after school club, I talked with E4 while Jackson and A6 played together. This is probably going to be our new Friday afternoon routine.

03-07-20

I went to the gym this morning. I saw R1 and talked to her for a few minutes. I met K4 upstairs to take the Barre class. N2 was teaching. After class, I talked to K4 and E4 for a bit.

03-08-20

I’ve been texting with K4 about carpooling to Battle of the Books on Wednesday to watch the girls compete.

03-09-20

I volunteered at the book fair at the kids’ school today. I recognized a parent and her daughter who had also volunteered at the fall book fair. N2, C2, and J10 were the PTA members in attendance. I was able to talk to N2 a little more while we volunteered.

03-11-20

I met K4 at the school to ride together to Battle of the Books. We had a mini adventure trying to find the Student Center at UNCA. It was a long day. The kids definitely became fatigued as the day wore on. It was neat to see the process and be prepared if the girls do it again next year. It was also nice to have time in the car to talk more with K4.

I texted R1 to see if she wanted to talk about our book on Monday after the group power class we’re planning to take. She agreed.

03-15-20

Yesterday the governor canceled schools for at least the next two weeks. Hopefully, they will be able to get virtual learning working so the kids have fewer days to make up.

03-17-20

Well, everything’s pretty much been canceled due to the coronavirus – writing group, life groups, the Y, school. We picked up the kids’ school stuff yesterday so they are ready for virtual learning which should start tomorrow.

03-18-20

Kaitlyn Facetimed a GA friend on Monday and C4 yesterday. The kids also talked to their grandparents. My friend canceled her trip up to visit me this weekend. My aunt confirmed her trip cancellation in April. We started virtual learning today. Definitely a learning curve for all of us but I think we’ll get the hang of it. I talked to R1 on the phone so we could finally discuss the next part of the book we’re reading. I downloaded Voxer and will try it with her. This whole thing is definitely challenging our attempts to get to know others in our community.

03-20-20

I’ve been doing a lot of texting. I’m trying to learn how to use Voxer with R1. E1 texted me this morning to see if we could shop together separately by watching each others’ kids from parallel cars. Adam was working from home today so my kids stayed home but we completed the rest of the plan. I met E1 in the parking lot and sat in my car with the window down while her girls sat in their car with the windows down and she went in to shop. When she was done, she left and I did my own grocery shopping. Crazy times.

I received a Marco Polo from an Atlanta friend and texts from family members. Plenty of checking in going on.

03-24-20

Nothing really exciting to report. I’ve been chatting with family and friends via various methods – Facetime, texts, phone calls, Marco Polo, and Voxer.

*****

It’s crazy to think that earlier in the month I was feeling worn out from so much social activity and now I’m wishing I had places to go and people to see. At least my phone is still a lifeline to my friends and family in other parts of the country and world.

Church: Part 8

Last month we joined a Life Group (or two) to get to know people in our church better. We had four meetings before groups were canceled due to COVID-19. It was enough time to meet a few people and exchange some numbers. However, it’s still challenging to deepen relationships when you can’t be face-to-face.

02-26-20

I texted C7 to let her know that I was making gluten-free cookies. She texted later to say that they weren’t coming to Life Group and to save her a cookie. I stuck a few in the freezer for next week.

We played Codenames as a group. I talked a little to T5 at the end of group and we switched phone numbers. Her husband, C8, reminds me of my brother. T6 was back this week after T5 saw her Sunday at church and said she’d missed her at group the week before (the downside to us going to the first service is we don’t see anyone). T6 said something about enjoying editing and I said we should talk and gave her my business card. She texted me so now I have her phone number as well.

02-28-20

I went to my Friday morning Life Group. It was just me and C6 but it was a wonderful time of fellowship. We shared and prayed together. When I left our meeting, I felt both encouraged and energized.

03-01-20

We didn’t see anyone from Life Group at church today, though I did see the babysitter and her mom. We also saw a couple from the newcomers’ dinner.

03-02-20

T5 texted to say she wasn’t feeling well so we rescheduled our meeting for Thursday.

03-03-20

I texted C6 with a song I thought she’d like. She suggested moving our meeting location this week and I agreed.

I also texted C7 to see how her week was going.

03-04-20

We had Life Group tonight. We played Pictionary for awhile. My cheesecake squares were popular. I’ve designated myself as the dessert lady. No one seems to mind. I talked some to C7 and we set up a day next week to get together and go thrift shopping. I confirmed our meeting time tomorrow with T5. T6 wasn’t there and I had been hoping to talk to her so I texted her when we got home from group. She responded that she had a cold.

03-05-20

I went over to T5’s house this morning to get to know her a little more. We chatted while her ten-month-old daughter explored the room and “helped” her clean out the toy bin. It was an enjoyable time. I hope we are able to do it again.

03-06-20

I met C6 at Green Sage this morning, a local coffee shop. We decided to keep meeting there because it’s not as crowded as Starbucks. It was an enjoyable and encouraging time. I’m curious about whether it will always be just us two.

03-07-20

Adam and Kaitlyn went to the SoCon basketball tournament this evening. Adam said he saw a couple from church.

03-08-20

At church, we saw three guys from our Wednesday night Life Group. They were playing in the band and working sound. We talked to them all after service for a bit. It was really nice to have a connection on Sunday morning.

03-10-20

I met C7 at her daughter’s preschool. We drove around to various thrift stores and shopped, getting to know each other more in the process. We stopped for a quick lunch before she had to pick up her daughter. We saw Adam on the way to pick up my car.

03-11-20

C7 texted me to ask if I was going to the Pack Library book sale Friday. We may go together.

Life Group was canceled because the hosts’ son had a cough and everyone wanted to be safe because of COVID-19.

03-13-20

I Facetimed with C6 for our weekly meeting. She had decided to quarantine herself and her daughter because she has lung issues. The connection wasn’t the best but we made it work. I am trying to be more authentic in this relationship and several others. I know I tend to reveal some parts of myself and keep others hidden for fear of rejection. I don’t want to be that way. I want to find people who accept me even though I’m not perfect or we don’t necessarily agree about everything. I want to be able to show up completely.

C7 and I had talked about going to the book sale at Pack Library together but it didn’t end up happening.

03-15-20

We watched church online this morning because in-person gatherings have been canceled due to the coronavirus. Many churches are doing this which I think is good.

03-20-20

I Facetimed with C6 again this morning for our weekly life group.

03-22-20

We watched church online again this morning.

03-24-20

Our old church is doing a devotional on the YouVersion Bible app. A friend told me about it and I was sent an invite to join them so I will be doing that for the next month.

One of our small group members’ kids will turn one next month. I emailed our group to suggest mailing gifts to make the occasion special since we can’t all get together.

*****

The month started out with a lot of promise for deeper connections, but things changed. Thankfully, we can still connect some via the wonders of technology. I want to keep making contact with those friendships that are new, hoping that we can continue to get to know one another.

Friendship: Part 7

Making connections in our everyday lives has been fairly successful for us thus far. If you’re just tuning into this series for the first time, you may want to start with the first post about making friends in our new city.

01-27-20

The kids and I went to the library this afternoon and I talked with A4 for a little bit. She asked if I was recovering from illness the last time I was in and I was confused for a bit before realizing she meant the day I saw R1 after my dental procedure. It was sweet of her to notice.

R1 and I texted back and forth to figure out our meet up for tomorrow.

01-28-20

R1 and I had to delay our meeting due to a 2-hour school delay. I got the kids on the bus and then went to the gym to exercise. After we both finished, we went to Mosaic for beverages and to talk about the book. We also discussed plans and food for the Super Bowl on Sunday.

01-29-20

When we walked into the restaurant for a church event, we saw one of Adam’s co-workers at the bar so we talked to him for a few minutes.

01-31-20

We went to dinner at Sierra Nevada with Adam’s work team to celebrate one of his employees getting a new position within the company. I met some new people and their wives and kids. It was kind of fun socializing. I found someone to talk books with which helped a lot.

02-01-20

Before Jackson’s game this morning I talked for a while to J9, one of the parents with kids on both basketball teams. They moved up here from Atlanta about the same time that we moved to Atlanta. His wife lived in and around Kansas City growing up (I lived in St. Joseph, about an hour north). We had a decent amount of experiential overlap which made for easy conversation. Jackson and his teammate (J9’s youngest) played together during their older siblings’ game. Too bad the family lives in Fairview.

02-02-20

R1, A5, and the kids came over to watch the Super Bowl with us. We had delicious food and kept ourselves entertained with prop bets. The kids ate and then disappeared upstairs for most of the evening. I thought it was an enjoyable time.

02-03-20

I went to Zumba this morning and talked to N2 out in the hall before class started. She is so energetic and full of life. She’s a perfect Zumba teacher. I talked to R1 for a little bit after class and saw A5 on the way out to my car.

02-04-20

R1 and I met at the gym. We exercised together and then went to Mosaic to discuss the last section of the book. It was a good read. We talked about getting the kids together to decorate Valentine’s-themed cookies and settled on Friday afternoon.

02-06-20

K4 and I were texting this morning about the girls and their sleepover at another classmate’s house and she asked if I wanted to go to lunch just the two of us sometime in the next couple of weeks. I said that would be great.

I texted some with a Georgia friend who said she wanted to come visit and set a tentative date. I really hope it works out. I’d love to spend the weekend being tourists together.

I dropped Kaitlyn off at her sleepover this afternoon. She has been excited about it ever since we told her she could go a week ago. It was a group of five girls. Kaitlyn disappeared as soon as we arrived. I met the mom and talked to her a bit. I was a little nervous about the whole thing but knowing C4 was also going meant there was some familiarity.

02-07-20

I saw R1 at the gym and firmed up our afternoon plans.

Jackson and I met Kaitlyn and all of the sleepover girls at Wendy’s for lunch. I invited one of the other parents to sit and eat with us since all of the girls were sitting together. We chatted some over lunch.

R1 and the kids came over in the afternoon to decorate sugar cookies. Then the kids went upstairs to play for a while. I think they had a good time.

02-10-20

I saw R1 at the gym. She was on her way out. I said hi to N2 at the beginning of Zumba class.

K4 texted me to ask about our summer schedule. I guess her kids attend camps and wanted to see if we could coordinate and maybe get the kids in one together.

02-11-20

 I texted E1 to see how she was doing and to invite her to get together for lunch sometime. We are tentatively scheduled for next Thursday.

02-12-20

I saw R1 at the gym and was able to talk to her for a bit. It was pretty busy at the desk.

I checked in with my GA friend about her potential visit and she said she could come so I have something to look forward to next month.

Adam was texting with the father of Kaitlyn’s GA best friend and they’re trying to figure out how to get everyone together this coming Sunday. It would be great fun if it works out.

02-14-20

The kids and I went to the library this afternoon. I saw A4 and talked to her for a little bit. She said there were six people at the creative writing group on Wednesday (I obviously was unable to make it).

02-18-20

I picked R1 up this morning and we went to the Arboretum to walk the trails before the rain started. We got nearly four miles in and stayed dry. It was really nice feeling secluded from civilization for a bit.

I received a note in the mail today from one of the people I’d sent a note to last month. It was a very pleasant surprise. She expressed interest in being pen pals so we’ll see how it goes.

02-20-20

I saw R1 when we arrived at the gym. I saw N2 in the locker room and asked if she was taking a class. She said she was taking the same class I was. When I got upstairs I talked a little to D4, the instructor for the class.

R1 and I have been texting about reading another book together.

E1 and I were supposed to have lunch today but canceled because of school being closed.

02-21-20

School was canceled again today so I texted E1 to see if she and the girls wanted to meet for lunch today. She was game so we all met at Culver’s early enough to beat the lunch rush. The kids were getting a little crazy after food so I suggested they come over to play. E1 had some errands to run first so they came over afterward. The kids enjoyed playing together. It was nice to catch up with E1.

02-23-20

I texted K4 to verify that we’re still on for lunch tomorrow. R1 picked a book for us to read together next. We’ll hopefully get together Tuesday.

02-24-20

I met K4 for lunch today. It was nice to get to know her a little more. We talked some about the past weekend and potentially getting the girls together again soon.

I’ve been texting with R1 about tomorrow. She’s not feeling well so we may postpone to next week.

02-25-20

I went to the library to clear up an issue and talked to A4. She confirmed that she had been in the Mardi Gras parade our family attended downtown Sunday afternoon. She asked if I would be at the next writing group.

A fairly social month for us. Now that we also have a weekly Life Group, our time with other people should pick up even more. I’m feeling fairly positive on the friend front.

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