Social Distancing

Since the stay-at-home order was put into place for Illinois at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 21st, social distancing has been encouraged.  Social distancing means not going out unless necessary, and avoiding close contact with others.  Fun fact: A moose’s antlers are six feet across, which is the distance recommended between people during this time.  

I have only seen a few of my friends in person since quarantine began.  I am able to see Emma Wahlmann once or twice a week, because her family adopted me and my family adopted her as part of the 2020 Adopt A Rocky Senior campaign.  We always stay at least 6 feet apart.  She sits on her front porch or steps when I visit, and I stand in the grass or on the sidewalk, and vice versa.

I also saw Anna Rowell once.  She was doing homework while sitting in a chair on her driveway.  We happened to walk past her house on our daily walk, so I waved, and we talked for a few minutes.

During our walks, my mother, sister, and I cross to the other side of the street if we see someone coming in our direction.  We can still say hi and wave and be friendly without being in close quarters.

My mother goes to the grocery store once a week to buy food for our family.  The few times I have gone to the store, I made sure to wear a mask, stayed at least six feet away from others when possible, and used hand sanitizer once I was done shopping. The rest of my family has not been to any public places since quarantine began.

I would love for the stay-at-home order to end before this fall so I can leave for college.  Ideally, I would have a graduation party, see all my friends again, and have Rocky staff and students sign my yearbook.  But for now, I will content myself with messaging my friends over Facebook, or seeing them occasionally from afar.