
Quarantine Reflections
by Skyler ‘21 (Waverly junior)
March 30, 2020: Hot Cheetos!!! My dad and stepmom went to the store today, and I asked them if they happened to see any Hot Cheetos on the mostly desolate store shelves, if they could please grab a bag for me. Hot Cheetos have really been the only thing that I’ve been craving while in quarantine these past few weeks. It was probably the most exciting thing that has happened to me for the entirety of this quarantine when I saw them peeking out of the bags in the trunk. I took the glorious red shiny package out of the shopping bag and gave it all of my attention. After wiping it off with a Clorox wipe, I cradled it in my arm (separate from the rest of the groceries) and carried it inside. I’m thankful for Hot Cheetos today.
March 31, 2020: I’ve gotten good at making to-do checklists. Each morning I write down all the classes that I have and under each one I break down everything I must do into multiple different tasks. For example, one math assignment will have multiple components to it such as 1) doing the actual problems, 2) taking pictures of my work, 3) uploading the pictures of my work, etc. I do this because while there are more tasks on my paper, there is also more stuff to check off. It makes me feel productive. I NEVER put stuff on my checklist that I don’t actually have to do but probably should do, because if I don’t end up getting around to them I feel like I failed by not checking everything off on my list for that day. I feel very accomplished and fulfilled at the end of every day having a page of all the things I had to do with big check marks next to each task.
April 1, 2020: First day of April — I just really miss my friends today. Usually, I really enjoy the month of April because I always feel like it’s filled with fun events and everybody seems to be in a generally positive mood. To me, April always kind of signifies the end of winter and the last stretch of the school year and gearing up for summer. This April, however, feels just the same as last month, if not worse. I’m dreading it, really.
April 2, 2020: If there’s anything that will really resonate with me after this whole thing is over, it would probably be the importance of having a village. The saying “it takes a village” has taken on a whole new meaning since the beginning of all the shutdowns and all. The way in which people have come together and learned to help each other out is utterly jaw dropping. I didn’t know people had the capacity to communicate and level with each other the way they have this past month. I have my doubts that this kind of behavior will be carried out after this quarantine, but I really hope it does. A disconnected connection is the only way I could begin to describe it.
April 3, 2020: Today was really defined by the music I listened to. Music has the power to entirely transform my mood, and I need to remind myself of that more often. The past two days I’ve been in an absolute creative and motivational rut. But this morning I turned on my favorite upbeat playlist and haven’t taken my earbuds out since.