By Maddie Olsen
During this time of the coronavirus and quarantine some are left with a little bit more extra time than they previously would have had. Therefore, for those individuals it allows for an opportunity for them to try new hobbies and activities that they may have always wanted to try but never had the time to. I decided to ask a range of individuals about their free time during this unprecedented time and what they have been doing to fill it. Upon interviewing many different members of the community, I found some similar findings.
Both my mother, my friend Kaylin, and our assistant principal, Mrs. Charleston-Smith, have stated that they find walking to be something they now enjoy doing more. Mrs Charleston-Smith stated that, “…if I walk alone I get a chance to clear my head, work through things I’m stressed about or just enjoy being out in the fresh air. If I’m walking with my family, it gives me a chance to talk with them and hear what they have going on and how they are feeling especially my kids and not be interrupted with video games or tik tok or cell phones.”
I think that walking provides not only Mrs. Charleston-Smith, but many others, have the chance to have some time alone, which is something very hard to come around if living with others, or just some quality time in the outdoors to think and have clear communication if walking with others. Another popular activity is arts and crafts. Both Mrs. Yermas, a wonderful math teacher at our school, as well as my friend Kaylin have been exploring more of their artistic sides. Mrs. Yermas said that she has been assisting her daughter, Mia, with some of her art projects. Quarantine has allowed many individuals to help others in ways they previously could not before, due to a magnitude of reasons, and Mrs. Yermas is able to now offer her time to help her daughter with art. Also, my friend Kaylin has started to make her own tie-dye apparel. She was inspired by some popular TikTok videos she saw and decided to try it herself. She had never spent much time working and focusing on crafts in her past, but now that she has had the time to do so she has found that it is something she very much enjoys doing and has a passion for. TikTok is a popular social media app that has really taken off during quarantine providing comedic relief, creative ideas, along with relatable content. Tie-dying is just one of many creative ideas from this app that individuals can partake in along with whipped coffee, three ingredient creme brulee, new strawberry cleaning techniques, and more.
Tie-dying is just one of many creative ideas from this app that individuals can partake in along with whipped coffee, three ingredient creme brulee, new strawberry cleaning techniques, and more.
This is not the case for everyone as this is also a very stressful time for many filled with much extra work and worries. Many have more responsibilities to take on now and have to play multiple roles which can be very challenging. As Mrs. Charleston-Smith said, “since I have a daughter in 7th grade and a son in 5th grade, I have to help them (my son way more than my daughter) with their school work on top of the regular day-to-day stuff I’m used to doing. On-line learning is tough for all students in the beginning but in elementary school it seems extra hard for some reason. That being said, between all the things I have to do as a mom, my job and keeping up with typical house stuff it’s tough fitting anything else in.” Although these tough roles may not be as relaxing as some individuals’ new hobbies, these are very beneficial and helpful to those they are helping. Quarantine has given many the chance to look at life through a different lens and be grateful for the small things. How each individual decides to use this experience in their future is unique.
One way Mrs. Yermas is going to use this global pandemic in her classroom by using the virus data in stats class in the future. There are so many ways this time can be intertwined and reflected into our daily lives once this is over, so by trying to keep a positive outlook it will help to make the days a little less glum . That being said, this is a very tough time for everyone and it is important that everyone tries to treat everyone with a bit more love, compassion, and kindness as everyone is fighting their own battles and dealing and coping with this global epidemic in different ways.
