In these times we are all struggling to see the positive. Everything seems so bleak and surreal all around us. It’s like a dream we can not wake up from. Many have lost their jobs and the majority of people are on lockdown in their houses. When this all started we were at the beginning of our spring break. Now is the time school should have been back in session, but instead I, like all of you, am still stuck inside. 

I have been fortunate enough to still have my job since I work at a grocery store, but it is not all too great there either. The store is always empty of food and resources. Those who work with me understand when I say it is not a very cheerful place to work right now even though we try to be. I have been staying late on my night shifts to help stock shelves so that when families come in in the mornings they have something to come in to. 

When I get home from work I have to immediately take off my clothes and go take a shower. My youngest brother was born with a hole in his heart. They fixed it a long time ago, but now he has asthma so he is considered a high risk person for the coronavirus. My step-dad works stocking linen at Mercy so my family is trying to be very cautious when it comes to germs. 

At home we have to disinfect everything that we usually touch in the house with bleach wipes every couple of days. We are not allowed to leave the house to go anywhere either. My parents are allowing us to go outside around the neighborhood though. It’s nice to go out and get some fresh air sometimes. 

At first when this all started happening, to be honest, I sort of slipped into an almost depression like state. I would sleep all the time during the day, I had no motivation to do anything at all. I never wanted to get out of bed or eat meals. Nothing seemed positive at all and I couldn’t seem to get that feeling of dread out of my stomach. Blame it on the lack of human interaction, or maybe it was just the sadness of the virus spreading. Either way it was really hard and I’m sure a lot of you can sympathize with me. I can bet a lot of us have gone through the exact same thing. 

What got me out of this slump was my family and regularly going to work. Getting up and doing things, even if they were small, really helped my mood. Now I am doing at home schooling and I feel great again! I think we need to just try and put our lives back together in any way we can. Try to make things seem less bad than they are. A teacher of mine told me something that has stuck with me. This is just a small part of our education. A small percentage in the 12 years we have had school. At the moment everything seems like it’s the end of the world, but in reality it’s not. We will get through this and soon it will simply be another part of American history. 

I believe we can get through this even though right now it feels like we won’t. It is hard to be away from friends and maybe even family for some. Soon though, if we have faith, everything will be okay. We will all go back to school next year and have a new start. For now I am going to continue my at home schooling and work. I wish you all the best of luck in your own quarantined journey.