by Anna Squiers ’20

Right now, we are living through the Coronavirus pandemic. It’s easy to be negative in a time like this. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying, we’re all stuck inside, I can’t see my friends, and I can’t see my classmates. For now, I have no idea if we’ll ever have a prom or graduation. This is a really difficult time for everyone, but especially the Class of 2020. We’re missing out on moments that we have worked towards for the past twelve years. Second semester of senior year was supposed to play out like a cheesy teenage movie, not a horror film. But that’s what happened. And it’s beyond our control. 

But it being out of our control does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. Don’t let that statement overwhelm you, instead, let’s try to see it in a positive light. It’s out of our control, so there’s no use in worrying about it. Whenever I get sad or frustrated about all that I’m missing out on, I remind myself that it will all work out in the end. Life will eventually return to normal. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but one day (hopefully soon) we’ll all be able to see each other again. Having this positive outlook may seem difficult to maintain while we’re all cooped up in our own homes, bored out of our minds. For me, it was difficult at first. But finding the ‘silver lining’ in this quarantine is important in order for everyone to stay positive and keep their mental health as stable as possible. 

For me, this brighter outlook was that I got a break from the stress of school. For the past four years, I have spent every day focused on academics, honors societies, and extracurriculars. I never took the time out to focus on me and things I like to do. This Coronacation has given me time to do these things. I love art. This has been a hobby of mine for many years, but I never had time to make pieces for myself outside of the art classroom. During these past eight weeks, I have made many pieces of artwork for myself: paintings, sculptures, and drawings of plans for bigger projects for the summer. This silver lining is something I can point to as a positive outcome of this pandemic. 

Of course, it is important to recognize the tragedy that this pandemic is. Many people are suffering and losing their lives and jobs. But if that’s all that we focus on, we’ll all have lost our minds before we’re released into the real world again.  Instead, find the reasons that this break has been good for you. Take time for yourself, because right now that’s all we have!