Happy first day of spring break, all! Today is March 21.
I think of all the days so far, today has seemed the most out of place. On a typical Saturday I will sleep in until at least 10:30 a.m. Waking up naturally around 7:45 a.m. today, I decided to sleep in of my own volition and not because my body demanded rest, which was an odd luxury I greatly appreciated. Since I’m working myself to the point of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion during the school week most of the time, I usually allow my Saturdays to be a period of absolute relaxation and decompression. Today, however, felt the same as the last three days, which for that very reason made it completely different.
Another strange aspect of today was I didn’t leave the house to go to church. My mother raised me Catholic, and I went through confirmation earlier this year, so part of my weekly tradition is to attend mass on Saturday evenings. I enjoy the peace and routine that mass offers. I get lost in singing hymns and reciting prayers. Even surrounded by strangers, church provides me with a sense of community and solace, especially in times of personal and worldly crisis (e.g. during a pandemic).
For Lent, a 40-day period of reflection between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, this year I decided to give up having my phone near me when I’m going to sleep, quit eating junk food and pray a rosary a week. Oddly enough, one of the hardest parts has actually been learning the words to pray when saying a rosary. Although every week I stand in mass and recite the Nicene Creed, for some reason I find it difficult to remember the words when I’m alone. As a response to limiting the spread of the coronavirus, various Catholic services have closed, so I wasn’t able to attend my typical mass, which left my heart feeling a little heavier than usual.
On a lighter note, my mom and I finally had a chance to bake together. After making way too much porridge for the Scottish booth I helped run at Global Village, we looked up recipes to use up the leftovers. Since I was in the mood for something on the sweet side, we ended up doing muffins with cherries and nuts. Working together the prep time was relatively short, and within about 45 minutes I was able to dig into a delicious brunch treat. While I’d like to say I paced myself, to be frank I think I ate at least five in the span of about an hour. Judge me if you will, but what can I say? They were delicious.
While I didn’t have to suffer through the ash and sorrow of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road for a second day, I did spend a large portion of my day reading. My choice for today was The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. It is a semi-light-hearted young adult novel following the story of four teenagers with normal lives and normal problems in the midst of a background subplot about supernatural happenings leading to the death of several indie kids. Though my initial description may seem confusing, Ness’ writing is relatable and engaging. As a reader I can empathize with and connect to the main character’s experiences, which I think is ultimately the point of a story like this one. If anyone out there is looking for a book to take his or her mind off the current state of the world, I highly recommend Ness’ novel.
I honestly don’t think I have the words to describe how energized I feel now after returning to my old habits of curling up and finishing off a full book in less than 24 hours. Leading up to high school I was a voracious reader. I’d spend hours on end going through book after book, but since freshman year I’ve noticed my dedication to reading slowly decline to a point where it became nearly nonexistent outside of textbooks and assigned classwork. I’ve missed this so much these past couple years, and having the time to do what I love has made me so happy.
Other than completing an entire book, I had a pretty relaxed and laid-back day of Netflix and food. I am beginning to feel a tad lethargic, however, so I think I’m going to make it my mission to leave the living room tomorrow, even if all I do is take a walk around the backyard. I think a little natural vitamin D and fresh air could do me some good. Fingers crossed my allergies don’t get the better of me.
“What we know matters, but who we are matters more.” — Brené Brown, professor
How did you spend your fourth day of social distancing? Let us know in the comments below.
