Everyone across the world is coping with a drastic shift in their day-to-day as the Coronavirus continues to spread. Combating the progression of the virus requires large changes to life as we know it, and these changes are happening quickly.
I watched the news as more and more universities decided to move to online classes for the remainder of the semester, so I knew that is was only a matter of time before the College of Charleston followed suit. That said, when I got the official email– deeming suspicions true– I was devastated. I was stressed and scared and sad, but reacting in this way made me feel terribly guilty. I am in quarantine in the safety of my home, with my loving family, our sweet pups, enough food to keep us sustained for weeks, and books to read. There are people in the world that are truly suffering as a result of this virus. It’s not just me being uprooted from this world event, it’s not just my school closing the residence halls for the remainder of the semester, it’s not just our town’s restaurants closing down. Everyone is facing these adjustments.
So what do we do? We must come together, as a world-wide community to make modifications that keep ourselves and each other safe; and we have to be understanding of each other in the process. While most people dread the idea of staying home for weeks, it is our responsibility if it means the human population as a whole, will mend faster. We should take this time of isolation to be grounded in gratitude. While it is not ideal, we don’t often get this pause to be home, have time to try new things like drawing or learning a new language, or read new books, or take walks with just our families and pets. We must think of others as we make decisions: not buying things in excess if you don’t truly need it, not socializing with the “oh it won’t happen to me” mentality, not placing blame on those who are just trying to make changes that will allow us to recover. Let things go, because everything is replaceable except for our health and lives. This is a world-wide crisis and patience is a virtue.
Stay healthy, keep your head up, and wash your hands, lovely humans!