LEARNING ABOUT LIFE IN QUARANTINE

Oh, the great and constant boredom I am currently enduring due to this illness taking over the outside world. I have been stuck in my house currently for  twenty days and counting...

Without. Leaving.

I've cooked, I've cleaned, I've organized, started a blog, I've attempted to learn guitar, I've re- organized my previously organized areas and now to be quite honest I'm running out of ideas. Now to me this is a nightmare, no friends, no school, no sports, essentially no freedom for me since I will now be stuck under my parents roof for the foreseeable future. However! To the introverts of the world this is a breeze. No interaction with other people? Yes please! For me personally, it's a hard pass. Why, oh, why would anyone willingly stay in a house with their family for a month or longer! It's absolutely absurd! That is when I realized, this whole quarantine thing might not be so bad... 'might' being the keyword there. ;)


As I began to dread the idea of the next few months in the same environment, I realized that this time at home is most likely the only time for that rest of my life where I will not be seen by other people in society for an extended period of time. What better a time to work on myself than currently?! Now I don't mean I'm going to dye my hair pink and cut my own bangs, let's be rational here. What I do  mean is having the time to learn who I am as a daughter, as a sister, as a friend, and as myself. I can tell you one thing for sure, this time at home staying in the same place has made me realize that I have taken for granted the opportunities and experiences I have had across the world, outside of my house.


This time at home has almost forced me into learning about myself. I have learned that I absolutely cannot stand the shows that come on the TV during the day (the soap operas mainly), and I have learned that I like sunlight coming through my window to light up my room more than I like the lightbulbs in my ceiling. But let's go deeper than that. I have learned that I tend to put more effort into things that I like instead of things that need to get done. With online schooling I often find myself wanting to skip ahead to the next project for my favorite classes, which makes me fall behind in others that I don't fancy as much.


In addition to learning my peculiar and otherwise bland "likes and dislikes," I have also learned things about other people. I have learned that the people who are truly your friend and love you unconditionally will be there for you, no matter what, every single time. They will put in an effort for you because they are your people, the people who pray for you when you are scared, and worry when you worry, and are happy when you are happy. Those kind of people, although they are hard to find, are unique and beautiful and utterly amazing, and I'm telling you with everything in me if you find someone like that don't take them for granted and grasp onto the relationship you have with them tightly. I am a firm believer in the saying, "You don't know what you have until it's gone" and trust me, losing a friend who you once shared your life with is one of the most difficult obstacles a person could ever face.

And finally the most important lesson these three weeks in quarantine have taught me...


I have learned to be a better friend to people I may not be close with. People often come together in times of worry, uncertainty, and fear. Friends may unite together in conversation and speak to a friend who is struggling in an effort to show solidarity. However this specific time of worry is also accompanied with the inability to physically be with the people you love. My best friends have been checking up on me, and I have been doing the same with them. However my friends do this even more so because they know that this is a difficult time for me and my family. Last night for example, one of my best friends, Abbey, expressed to me that she is here for me and she loves me during this time and she's going to continue to be here for me. I was overwhelmed with her kindness, this act of love made me think what would I ever do without my sweet Abbey. And in that exact moment,

I realized that not everyone is as blessed as me to have an Abbey.

Not everyone has someone that feels every emotion you feel and supports you through every aspect of your life.  This made me suddenly understand that I have to put in an effort to be someone's Abbey, even if I may not know them. That girl that everyone saw struggling in school because her parents are getting a divorce, how do you think she is doing now that she is at home? What if she was using school as her only positive outlet and was hiding from her life at home? This time of distance is not an excuse to not checkup on that girl, or boy.  In fact, it's a reason to do so. Text that girl, ask her how she is doing, just be an ear for her, it makes the world of a difference to know that someone is thinking about how YOU are during this scary time, despite having their own personal concerns. You may never know the longstanding positive affect you could have on someone just from reaching out.  Just imagine the people who were using the public eye as an escape who are now being forced to go to a place and stay there for an extended period of time and face their problems. Imagine how scared or upset they may feel, and how much comfort you could bring to them by taking ten seconds out of your day to send them a little, "Hey! How are you doing?" text.

Anyway, that is what I have learned in my twenty days and counting of quarantine about myself and the people I love. I hope reading this inspired you to reach out to someone you know is going through a hard time (if you haven't already ;))


Fallon