Season two, prologue: Pandemic Odyssey // Wednesday, September 30

This is Shelter in Place, a podcast about coming together in a world that pulls us apart. From Oakland, California to Hamilton, Massachusetts, I’m Laura Joyce Davis.

Yesterday my husband Nate and I spent the better part of the day in the Emergency Room. Our 3-year-old Mattea had gotten into my father-in-law’s blood pressure medication, and so after a call to poison control, we headed to the hospital. 

Thankfully, Mattea was fine. Actually, she was better than fine. As we walked out of the ER several hours later, she looked up at us and said, “that was fun!” We tried not to glare at her. Apparently our efforts to make her understand how serious the situation was had been a total failure. The ER doc had already warned us that the bill would be several thousand dollars. After a long day of taking turns wrestling our daughter down so she wouldn’t pull off the sticky pads that connected wires to her chest and index finger, we were exhausted. Neither of us had slept well for weeks, and for days, our interactions had become increasingly ragged and terse. This visit to the windowless underworld of the ER was just our latest stop on a pandemic Odyssey that we hadn’t gone looking for. I’ll say more about that in a minute.

But first, I have to say that maybe Mattea has the right idea. Sure, she’d spent hours hooked up to monitors, and had to sit still and miss her nap. But she’d also made a bunch of new friends who all told her how great she was doing, people committed to making sure that she was okay. The Goldfish crackers and orange juice they gave her didn’t hurt either. For Mattea, it was all one big adventure.

It’s easy for me to lose sight of the adventure in my own life--to get shipwrecked by the hospital bills, the bedtime battles, the daily griefs and injustices in the newsreel that no longer surprise me. I forget that even in the hard times, there are all kinds of people--friends and strangers--who are willing and ready to make sure we’re okay, to help steer us in the right direction, to tell us that we’re doing great. I forget that even on the worst days, there’s an adventure to be found if I’m willing to look for it.

And that’s what season 2 of Shelter in Place is all about. It’s about embracing the adventure we didn’t want, but that we’re on anyway--an adventure that we’re not meant to do alone.

It’s about weathering storms and fighting one-eyed monsters. It’s about finding people who will offer you safety, shelter, and encouragement when you’re lost and ready to give up. It’s about learning to ignore the siren calls of depression and despair and instead find our way home--even if that home looks a lot different than the one we left behind. Think of it as a pandemic Odyssey, a long and winding journey that shows us what we’re made of, and beckons us toward hope even when the world feels hopeless. A story that doesn’t ignore the dead ends or detours, but instead celebrates our need to rely on others to help us stay on course. Because ultimately shelter in place isn’t just about where you find safety. It’s about where you belong.

Season two officially kicks off today with this prologue for that journey, with our first full episodes coming next week. Over the course of the coming weeks and months, I’ll share with you the personal Odyssey my family and I have been on, a journey that took us by surprise and happened so fast that we didn’t even get to properly say goodbye. It’s taken us from one coast to the other, across an entire country, through lands both familiar and unknown. I’ll tell you about the angry Cyclops we faced in Las Vegas, about the unruly mob that invaded our Oakland home, the fire storms and snowstorms that clouded our way. I’ll share with you the times we felt lost--sometimes every day--and you’ll hear the conversations I had with friends and artists and experts and mentors--conversations that give us vision for a better future. I don’t know how this journey will end, but I’d like to invite you on board. 

In each episode, I’ll end with an invitation to do something small that will help us get just a little closer to home. 

Today, as we kick off season 2, my invitation is two-fold:

First, reach out to two people you care about today and tell them something you appreciate about them. Then ask them to subscribe to Shelter in Place wherever they listen, so they can be a part of this journey, too.

The second part of today’s invitation is to give $2--or more--to an organization or person who is making this world a more peaceful, just place. If you’d like some ideas, we’ve provided a list on our website, shelterinplacepodcast.info. You’ll also find our brand new season 2 video, and a place to sign up to be part of our Shelter in Place neighborhood.

That’s it! Tell 2 people what you appreciate about them and invite them to join our Shelter in Place Community, and give $2 to someone who’s doing great work.

If you’ve connected with Shelter in Place in a meaningful way and want to help us keep this work going, you can become a supporter on our website, shelterinplacepodcast.info. In season one we began thanking supporters by name at the end of episodes, and we’re continuing that tradition in season 2. I’d like to end today’s episode by thanking two people who have supported this work and who inspire me to continue on the journey.

Joanne Fratis, thank you for adopting us into your family and showering our kids with Grammy Jo-Jo love. From marathon weekends to birthday parties and sharing Brick & Mortar wines, you’ve been an essential part of our California family. Thank you for believing in this work and encouraging us along the way!

Rebecca Bodenheimer, you’re one of the unsung heroes of this pandemic adventure, and a true friend. You didn’t throw us overboard even when the wind was against us, and you have been endlessly gracious and generous to us even when we were exasperating and anxious. You’ve given me new vision for what real community looks like, and I’m continually inspired by your prolific and thoughtful writing. I’m including a link to your website in this episode’s show notes so others can enjoy your  work, too!

If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, I hope you’ll subscribe wherever you listen, share this podcast with others, and visit us at shelterinplacepodcast.info, where you can find links to season one episodes, show notes, and all of the latest Shelter in Place news. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook at shelterinplacepodcast, and on Twitter at laurajoycedavis. We’d love to hear from you.