It’s totally normal to eat an entire loaf of banana bread alone, right? Today is March 28.
Waking up to a spring storm is one of the most relaxing feelings. While thunder rattled my window panes and the trees shook the last of their leaves down onto the plants outside my window, I sat in my bed and watched the sky cry. In all its chaos, there was also beauty. When the weather releases a torrent of emotions, the end result is ferociously spectacular.
I decided to match my actions with the sky’s mood and have a lazy day today. I chilled in my bed watching a string of Criminal Minds episodes and eating as much banana bread as my stomach could hold. The weather calmed down for a while, but there was a tornado watch in the early afternoon. Soon after, however, the clouds broke and I caught a glimpse of the sun against a pale blue background.
In the midst of my not-so-exciting day of weather watching and crime show binging, I checked my school email. To my disappointment, I saw two emails from my Advanced Placement Calculus AB teacher announcing a list of eight online assignments to complete and a test to prepare for. I enjoy the class, but the switch away from in-person education makes me feel anxious about the test since I will not have my usual structure of review and face-to-face teacher support to rely on.
Nevertheless, I am creating a schedule for when I will do each review activity and how I will study (re-writing notes, making flashcards, conferencing with friends, etc.) to ensure my grade has the chance to improve. I feel secure about my other classes and grades not changing much, but with math I am more nervous since it is not my strongest subject.
To help reduce my anxiety and tension after reading the emails, I decided to go for a walk. The temperature was about 70 degrees, but because of the wind I still wore a windbreaker and pants rather than simply shorts and a t-shirt. I listened to relaxing background music, not paying too much attention to it since the ambient noise of the air through the trees and the rustling of leaves was calming. I did a short out and back, which only took me about half an hour. When I was out and about I saw two people walking their dogs and one cat who may or may not be a stray (jury’s still out). Being outside helped me clear my head and relax.
By the time I got back home, it was time to eat and the sun was about to go down. In honor of tonight’s Earth Hour from 8:30-9:30 p.m., I turned off my lights and enjoyed the darkness. One of the treats of living away from other houses is the chance to appreciate nature. No matter the season, I love to sit on our back porch or living room couch and watch the day go by. I’ve seen families of deer, raccoons, turkeys, rabbits and foxes grow up and live in the woods surrounding our property. Nature unobstructed truly is incredible sometimes.
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” — Roald Dahl, British novelist
How did you spend your eleventh day of social distancing? Let us know in the comments below.
