Amid all the chaos and uncertainty that we face right now, I’ve been painstakingly committed to look for silver linings. I don’t mean blind naiveté or false optimism. I mean I dropped every ball at work and in my personal life, yet I managed to make my favorite meal for myself at the end of a long day. I mean I got kicked off unemployment and have had to figure out how to cope without the additional income, yet I cleaned my apartment for me and my roommate’s wine night.
In this pandemic, I’ve experienced circumstances I thought would get the better of me, been surprised at my ability to overcome things I previously thought insurmountable, and rekindled relationships I let lapse.
Everyone’s experience with quarantine is unique to them, and mine was no different. After not having lived with my sister and mother for over a year, I moved back home in an attempt to keep other members of my family, who are immunocompromised, safe. A staple in our household was the nightly Andrew Cuomo Report, where he outlined the daily statistics about New York in comparison to other states and generally assuaged the public. My sister and I complied for the information, but I have suspicions my mother was only in it for Cuomo himself.
This small ritual of the three of us collectively sharing our time together to watch Cuomo’s report, renamed “Mom’s Boyfriend’s Report,” made a significant impact on the dynamic between the three of us and our dog.
In the age of technology and submission to said technology, I think we overlook the importance of simple, personal companionship. We didn’t hold tense political conversations, or regale the highs and lows of our individually horrifically boring lives. Rather, we sat in companionable silence and let Cuomo hold our attention. There was no added tension or stress of seeking each other out or holding a conversation, and I think the mindless, casual sitting the three of us did was good for us. We moved closer to one another and stayed there, even in the subsequent months of us going our separate ways.
While overall I’m not grateful for the pandemic because of all the negativity, loss, and misery we all suffered watching our collective worlds fall apart, I think there is a silver lining if you know where to look. Those around us, who we may often take for granted, are the light at the end of the tunnel as this nightmare continues. It can be nerve-wracking, downright awkward, and miserable at the start, but actually letting those who love you, love you, is a small victory that we cannot take for granted.