Hi everyone,
Welcome to With Love U.S. a series about life, love, and embracing the chaos. I’m Rachel McKinney. I’m a storyteller, New Yorker, and a big believer in helping each other in this journey we call life.
The last few years, I’ve been writing short stories about life in the Big Apple for friends and family, as a way to document this crazy beautiful city I LOVE. And the thing I love most - the people. We’re going through a bit of a rough patch right now, as are the people of the entire world, and gotta say it’s really hard. I don’t know how we’re gonna get through this, but we will, because we have to.
We’re being forced to function differently for the good of our health and for those around us. All of this feels… terrible! Put it this way, some people are better adapting to this than others. And we all have at least ONE PERSON who is driving us absolutely NUTS! YOU KNOW that person I’m talking about. MMMhhhmmmmm!
My body is holding onto so much tension that could easily snap the Brooklyn Bridge in two with the snap of my fingers, and I’m having to remind myself every couple of minutes just to breathe.
(breathe)
I don’t know about you, but this is my first pandemic. I’m making decisions as quickly as possible, and I’m hoping they’re the right ones. Like pants? Do we wear them? Do we not? I don’t know right now. I’ll get back to you on this one. All I do know is that I’m doing the best that I can.
And what I’m finding through all this chaos is that I need a sense of normalcy. That’s why I’m starting the With Love US podcast. As weird as it seems - even to me - in the midst of this pandemic, sharing stories and creating this series seems like the right thing to do. Why? I’m not sure, but as the dust starts to settle, and reality sets in, I need to feel useful and create meaning out of this seemingly disconnected moment.
I’m not exactly sure what this new adventure is or even where it will take us. But maybe the “not knowing” is the point. Living perfectly imperfect in this adventure we call life.
This moment is really painful. And it’s really scary. And it’s also asking us to SEE each other and LOVE each other even more – even with 6 feet of distance between us.
Social distancing doesn’t have to mean disconnect.
Our new reality is definitely a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for us to be creative and find ways to cultivate more meaningful moments, maybe have conversations we might not otherwise, and share a bit more of our lives with one another.
Hey, we may be standing apart, but we can choose to stand together.
So, where do we go from here?
For me, it’s about launching the With Love US series. Somedays, I may talk to you directly – like today - about how I feel or share a story I’ve written. Or maybe I’ll share stories about NYC, maybe not. Maybe it’ll be a collection of stories people have shared with me. Maybe the stories will be about crazy roommates, ghosts, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Or a crazy ghost roommate stories on Ellis Island. Or maybe it’ll be me sharing my grandmother’s potato salad recipe.
Your guess is as good as mine.
I need to ask a favor. PLAY NICE here. Let’s use this as a place to be gentle with one another and create a space where we can be braver, laugh more, and find a way to enjoy the journey together.
So let’s see what happens. In any case, you can find me here, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and wherever you normally listen to your podcasts. You can subscribe now, invite your friends, and I really cannot wait to share these stories with you.
Till next time,
With Love, Us
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