I recently read an article in The Brunswick News written by Dr. Roscoe Scarborough, Associate Professor of Sociology at the College of Coastal Georgia. The article focused on “Connective Labor,” a phrase coined by sociologist and author Allison J. Pugh. Pugh defines connective labor as “the forging of an emotional understanding with another person to create valuable outcomes . . . . [It] is how we see the other, and how we convey to the other that they are seen.”
Monday, September 9, will be my first day back in the office after four months of mostly remote work. Like Dr. Scarborough, I have been (desperately) missing the magic of connective labor.
In early May, my husband spent 3+ weeks in the ICU recovering from a traumatic brain injury. My work immediately became remote while I spent as much time as I could by his bedside. Two weeks after my husband was discharged from the hospital and we began settling into our new normal at home, I gave birth to our second child – a precious baby boy who brought a new, new normal. The next three months would be spent on maternity leave where I was, once again, working remotely (and very limited hours).
I’ve been fortunate to stay in regular communication with the Land Trust team during this long, hot summer and continue to produce e-blasts, social posts, and other communiques. But it’s all been remote. While I have enjoyed every moment getting to know and snuggle with my son, and I am so thankful to have had the freedom to be at my husband’s bedside when it mattered most, I have missed connecting face-to-face with the incredible people behind the St. Simons Land Trust. I so look forward to walking through the front doors at the SSLT office on September 9, saying hello to and sharing stories with the wonderful women I work with, and hitting the ground running. The next four months will be some of the most exciting (and busy) months in the Land Trust’s history. How fortunate am I to be a part of that?
To all of you who supported me, who carried me through one of the scariest months of my life, and who celebrated with me when my husband came home and my son was born, I THANK YOU. And I hope, as I enter back into my full-time position as the Land Trust’s Communications Director, I get to connect with you, too. As Dr. Scarborough said, “Connecting with others requires work, but it yields dividends.” I look forward to experiencing those dividends.
Raleigh Kitchen, Communications Director, St. Simons Land Trust