Handling the Change

The Quarantine definitely took everyone by surprise. People don’t like being stuck in the house and being told they can’t enjoy life how they want to. For me, a teenager, being told I’m being forced to stay in the house was like a punch in the face.

My whole life, I have been a very active person. Entering high school only made me more busy and I became even more social, but those two things are what I love being the most, they make me who I am. The most challenging thing for me during this time is that I’m not able to see my friends. My friends and I spend all of our time together, whether that be getting together on the weekend just to hangout and play games like bags, pool, or even Guitar Hero. We enjoyed going to all the baseball and basketball games to support our boys and even just going for a quick Whitey’s run. Besides spending time with my friends, I enjoy going to our local gym, RIFAC, to make sure I can stay in shape, and it also allows me to blow off steam if I ever have a rough day. This time of year is my least busiest time so I’ve been able to go to the gym more frequently. My friends and I would occasionally play some type of game after our workouts, which eventually turned into a workout of their own. We would sometimes play basketball, volleyball, and even kickball. Now aside from all of that, I also have a couple jobs that I actually enjoy working at. I work at a gymnastics and tumbling gym in Milan called Twisters, where I coach little kids on tumbling. I also work at the RIFAC doing the same thing there. Working with kids brings me joy and not being able to see them all the time is upsetting. I have a seasonal job at a local waterpark, White Water Junction. I work in the concessions there, which many people might think isn’t that fun, but it’s the most fun job I’ve ever had!

It’s been very difficult having to adjust to these circumstances, but I remain hopeful that this will be over soon. My friends and I still keep in contact every day, and sometimes will have a video call so we can somewhat get face-to-face human interaction. To keep being active, I’ve been doing at-home workouts, but as anyone would guess, it’s not the same as going to the gym, and definitely not as motivating. I miss working with my kids, but I’d rather they stay home so they don’t get sick. White Water Junction is supposed to be opening soon, so I keep praying we are able to start our meetings and open on time.

I’m staying hopeful this quarantine will be over soon. This will all get better if everyone stays positive and listens to the orders we are given. This year is not off to the start we all expected, but this is the reality now.