I flew back home to Naples, Florida on March 14th and upon opening my front door, I was greeted by one of my two dogs. It did not take long for me to notice that Sully had acquired a new friend –a stuffed crab. Sully apparently found his new best friend in my family’s move somewhere along the way from Boston, Massachusetts to Naples, Florida
Throughout the following week, I observed just how attached he was to this random object. This is such a surprise because as a puppy, he was never attached to toys. My family would buy him a new toy occasionally, but within a week, they would often disappear. We found out that he would take these new toys outside and hide them somewhere in the seven acres of woods behind my old home. The seasons would pass, and Sully would forget about the hidden toys. You know it was finally Springtime when more toys would slowly pop up from under the snow from the New England winters. We do not know why he got so attached, maybe because a move across the country is a big change for such a small dog. No one particularly knows how Sully’s stuffed crab came into our lives. Like COVID-19, the red crab showed up at our doorstep and now it is everywhere Sully goes.
Watching Sully hang with his new best friend has given me the chance to sit down and reflect on who our support systems might be during this uncertain time or a big change. Like Sully had Mr. Crabs during the move, we all need to lean on each other for support at this uncertain time. Now that we have all of this time there’s a greater chance of loneliness and more often than not, this forced free time can be debilitating. Tzippa Marchette, a young adult quarantining in Boston, weighs in on her experience,
“I think the loneliness and staying inside all day is exacerbating my sadness. I can keep myself occupied if I go out, be with friends, go to work or drive places that I really like. That helps me keep it at bay because I am involved. Now that all those things have been taken away, it’s been really difficult for me to get to that spot where I feel like my time is being taken and I’m distracted enough from my thoughts. It’s getting to the point where I can’t even get out of bed.”
After talking with Tzippa, I realized that now that we aren’t distracted by our everyday lives, there are so many things we take for granted –like the relationships and friendships we have. I’ve definitely noticed there are people I used to see in my everyday life that I don’t anymore, and it feels like there’s a large part of me missing. However, it is times like these that I remember my “Mr. Crabs.” These are the people that I feel support me in times of uncertainty. This is an unnerving, upsetting and anxiety provoking time for everyone, and it is okay to feel any sort of emotion. So, like Sully rely on your support systems and reach out to make sure you tell YOUR crab you’re thinking of them.
