This week marks a year since the pandemic hit South Carolina and everything was locked down. My kid’s schools were first to be shut down for what we thought would only be two weeks but ended up being the rest of the school year. Then my husband was told to work from home. All the restaurants and shops except essential businesses closed. Everyone needed to be six feet apart and wear a face mask. Life as we knew it changed.
We moved to South Carolina a few months before the pandemic happened. The boxes were finally unpacked. The kids started to settle into their new schools. My husband became accustomed to his new routine. We began to become regulars at a new church. All we needed now was to make new friends and plant our roots in a community. So, what happens when everything shutdowns? How do you plant roots and make new friends when you cannot go anywhere?
When everything shuts down it makes meeting people extremely hard for a new family in the area. Even when things started to open back-up we were still limited. Going to the community pool was a scheduled activity with time slots. Getting to know the neighbors is near Impossible when you are the only family at the pool. Becoming a part of a new church family is difficult when the church is closed and only streaming on YouTube. I even joined the PTO at the beginning of the school year but making new mom friends is not easy when there are no school activities.
As we entered March 2021, the light at the end of tunnel is starting to shine. My kids are now at school 5 days a week. The PTO is beginning to have in school events. The church is now welcoming the congregation through its double doors. After school spring sports are beginning again. My son is excited to be a part of the school golf team and a new baseball team. With any luck, my family will now be able to become a part of this community and plant some roots.
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