Quarantine Journals


3/20/2020
I’ve been spending my time much more differently than I have been before Corona. Since all gyms have shut down, I can no longer play squash which I usually would do about 8-9 hours a week so to fill up that time, I’ve been revisiting video games that I used to play back when my schedule wasn’t so filled. This then led me to see conversations over text between me and some old friends. I enjoyed reading my past texts from when everything was so much more simple, less stressful and when I could afford to hang out with friends on a weekday. I also have been taking less midday naps because I don’t feel as tired and stressed as I did before. Sometimes right after school, I would just fall asleep right away and stay asleep for hours which threw off my sleep schedule completely. But now, I’ve been trying to keep myself busy during the day to avoid these midday naps. My family has been able to eat dinner together every night now because before we all had work to do but now we can all enjoy together which I really appreciate. We laughed and bonded over dinner as my mom shared with us the Facebook videos her relatives send her. It finally feels like I have time to just sit, think and reflect for a while but once more news about the virus comes out, it feels like I just get absorbed back into all the madness of life but of course, it’s important to know what’s going on in the world. The temporary feeling of relaxation is something I’ve come to appreciate so much and I hope I can find ways to feel it again once everything goes back to normal.


3/30/2020
Today I heard the shouts and laughter of a little girl outside my house. My neighborhood is usually completely quiet except for during the summer so I was kind of surprised. When I went up to my attic, I saw 2 girls riding their bikes in circles around their driveways. I then heard music blaring from my other neighbor’s house which also surprised me. Everyone’s so sick of staying inside their houses that they now spend a lot of their time just in their backyards. I haven’t fully gone outside during these past two weeks. The only time I went outside was to let my dog out but besides that, nothing. I want to go outside soon just to get some fresh air and to remind myself that there’s more things to do than just sitting on my computer.


4/1/2020
For fun today, I decided to do a little work out. My dad recently ordered a stationary bike so I tried it and didn’t like it at all. I’ve been absolutely dying to play squash and so I took my racket outside and started practicing my swing. It made me so happy just to be able to hold my racket again. Every time I take a long break, it feels weird to swing but hopefully if I do it everyday, I won’t lose my feel. After I was done with my workout, I realized how good it feels to be dripping sweat. Before the virus, I would play at least four times a week and three of those days I would be worked to exhaustion. Being away from the courts has made me realize how much I love squash and how much I need it for my mental and physical health. My dad and I are going to try to make a makeshift court in our basement but I’m not sure how much we can do. I’m hoping that when I get back to the squash grind I won’t feel too thrown off.


4/3/2020
Today, I was watching a YouTube video to study for my physics class because I am extremely worried about the AP test. The format for the test has been changed to completely free response which makes me very nervous so I was trying to brush up on some past topics. As I was watching, I saw a bright red speck out of the corner of my eye. I looked out the window and saw a bright red bird sitting on a tree. I was pretty surprised because usually only boring brown birds roam around my house. I decided to ditch my physics lesson and watch the bird flutter around the trees and hop from branch to branch. The bird looked brilliant compared to the dull color of the grass and trees. It’s color was so surprising that it reminded me of a cartoon bird. The bird made me wish that my family had some bright colored flowers planted in our backyard. Maybe I’ll do that one day when I can go out again.

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