So life is a little crazy right now. As stressful as it is to be in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, it’s given me time to reflect on what I took for granted before this happened and how thankful I will be when things get back to normal. With all of the negative news and media updates flying around, it’s easy to feel hopeless and complain about the state of the world. Here are five things I took for granted before the coronavirus pandemic and will be forever thankful for when this all blows over.
- Social Interaction
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As an introvert, I love me some good ‘ole fashioned alone time. However, now that I’m faced with an indefinite amount of alone time quarantined in one place, I’m definitely missing some quality time with friends.
- Eating in Restaurants
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Before this whole pandemic, I was a BIG fan of takeout. What’s better than enjoying your favorite Chinese food with a glass of wine by your side and your Netflix queue in front of you? Well, turns out that’s every night for me now, and I dearly miss sitting in a restaurant with other humans.
- Going to the Gym
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I’ll be honest—I never thought I’d say I miss going to the gym. But after eating a 3-month supply of quarantine snacks in one day? This girl needs a treadmill. Yes, online workout classes are great, but there’s something about going to a real gym that motivates me to actually get a good workout in.
- Being in College
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So being in class isn’t the most enjoyable activity, but I never realized how much I took being together with classmates for granted. Now that classes are online and campus is essentially shut down, I’m longing for the days of walking around campus and feeling a sense of community with my fellow students.
- The Grocery Store
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I never thought of fully-stocked grocery store shelves as a luxury, but seeing all those empty aisles has made me realize how easy it is to take necessities, like food, for granted. Shoutout to all of the grocery store employees for working so hard in a time like this! You truly are appreciated.
Being away from our daily routines and having our lives interrupted by this virus is undoubtedly anxiety-inducing, but we will make it through this. Life is different now and will be for a little longer, but it’s important to remember that things will get back to normal eventually. Stay safe and stay inside, friends!