Back in April, I wrote an article about things that I was excited for when quarantine was lifted. Although the formal quarantine period has concluded, COVID-19 has by no means disappeared from our lives. Despite the perpetual nature of this virus, I feel like I can speak for many when I say that learning to live in the presence of COVID has become second nature. For now, I’ll refrain from characterizing my previous thoughts as naivety, and instead deem them as pure optimism. Now that I have experienced another four months of socially distanced living, I would like to reevaluate my previous post quarantine aspirations.
So what did I really do these past four months? What did I learn? Did I spend quality time outside? Heck yeah, I did. Summer was filled with plenty of beach days including a few in Rhode Island and some on Nantucket. Family walks seem like a fever dream and the warm weather has been much appreciated. I often take most of my classes outside and dread the days when I will no longer be able to do so.
I definitely have a deeper appreciation for my family and for alone time. After the disappointment of being sent home from college, I learned to value the time spent within my home. I continue to teach myself how to cook—although I’m not all that great at it—and as cliché as it sounds, I try to do one thing every day that brings me joy. I started journaling and have made it a priority to write down goals for each day. While I didn’t see a crazy amount of people over the summer, I am currently living with six other sophomore girls from Lafayette and I am incredibly grateful for each of them.
Although I have not been able to return to my old habits of studying in Mojo or any coffee shop for that matter, I have been showing lots of love to local coffee shops as well as the Dunkin’ drive-through.
These past four months have really allowed me to reflect and work on myself. As disappointed as I am that we were unable to return to Lafayette this fall, this pandemic has helped me understand the importance of appreciating who and where I am today regardless of the situation. I don’t know where any of us will be a year from now. I encourage you to take time to yourself over the next couple of months and to try to find joy in the things you are doing. To echo my high school teachers who often repeated the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Enjoy what you can, endure what you must”. You got this, better things are coming.