Now that we have been out of school for about a month, I have come to realize that there are many aspects of my daily life I have come to miss. At the time, these things didn’t really seem that huge because they were parts of my everyday routine. Quarantine has really opened up my eyes to see how lucky I really am in both positive and negative ways. Here are five things that I have learned that I take for granted in this time of seclusion. 

Social Interaction 

Obviously this is a big one. Every day I was surrounded by people in my school, at work, and just out doing normal things. But now everyone must keep their distance, and in most cases communication has died out. When this first started, I didn’t think it would be a big deal. Staying connected over social media, FaceTime, or just through a simple text message seemed like a pretty simple way to keep contact. However, as time went on, I came to see how important it really was for me to connect with people in person. I really miss everyone I temporarily cannot see; my friends, family, teachers, and other important people in my life. Technological communication doesn’t come near to in person interaction. Before, this was something that I didn’t see. At times I would even get sick of people and wished I could just have a few moments of peace alone. But I don’t want that anymore, I just want to go back to the way things were before. 

Routine

I can’t even begin to describe how much of a procrastinator I have become during this time. I go to bed late, I sleep in, I do nothing, and I’m bored. I have lots of things I could be doing like online learning and developing my skills and hobbies. But there’s something about having a lack of routine that has filled me with a strange laziness. My weekday routine was once the same thing every day; get up early, go to school, get homework done, do fun activities, exercise, go to work, eat dinner, shower, go to bed. It all seems simple really, but believe it or not, I accomplished a lot throughout those in place activities. Now that I’m not required to follow a routine, it’s harder to get into a good swing of things without a struggle. When I sleep in, I feel like the whole day is gone and I lose the motivation to do anything but watch movies in my pjs. I’ve come to realize that lack of routine is starting to drive me crazy. 

Resources 

Now that everything we do now is online, I’ve come to see how lucky I am to be provided with such amazing technology. I’ve used this same iPad I’m using to write this for the past 4 years now. Over the years it has given me a lot of trouble, but it has certainly beaten carrying around heavy textbooks and binders stuffed full of paper. Now that we are fully online, I am truly grateful to have the technology and online programs we do. Some schools, unfortunately, are not so lucky and have had a harder and longer time making the online transition. Since we are already used to online functioning, the transition has been easier for us. And I’m grateful for that. 

My Family 

Since I am a senior, I am getting ready to dive into life on my own. With that comes moving out of my home. Honestly, I cannot wait to begin that journey, but being quarantined with my large family has given me the gift of time. Even though my senior year has been put on hold, many blessings can be found within my own home. I’m not in a super fast rush to go through the year anymore. This slow down has given me the opportunity to spend time with my family before I leave. They aren’t necessarily something I’ve taken for granted, but rather something I will when I move out. Getting in a few more game nights, movie nights, laughs, conversations, and memories with them has been a blessing. I know that I am using my last moments at home to be close with my family while I still am. 

High School 

This category hurts the most I think. I never fully experienced senioritis this year, but I’ve certainly wanted to graduate more than anything. I wanted my last year of high school to fly by so I could get out of there. But I didn’t mean for that to happen like this. With the end of the year approaching I expected there to be prom, maybe a few more assemblies, yearbook signings, senior ditch day, saying goodbye to teachers and friends, and graduation. But not, I don’t think I’m going to be able to have any of those things, and that breaks my heart. I can honestly say that I truly miss school and if I had to avoid this current issue, I would redo the school year. Even though there are a lot of negative aspects of this quarantine, it has taught me a lot. I hope that after all this is over that I will never take the simple things for granted, and come out knowing that nothing lasts forever and to enjoy them, while they last.