YouTube and I are about to come to blows. Today is April 11.
Following a strange dream involving a red and yellow bicycle, two strangers who might have been superheroes and an unexpected trip to Canada, I woke up at 10 a.m. Because the video I had been trying to upload to YouTube last night hadn’t transferred before I went to sleep, I went downstairs to check my computer and see if the file had finished processing. To my joy, It had.
For the first hour or so of my day, I crafted a post on Bearing News and published the video. “Senior Thalia Montilla reflects on her favorite cultural traditions, addresses stereotypes” was the fourth in an ongoing series about students from other cultures. I had interviewed her when school was still in session, and I decided now was as good a time as any to publish it. I am proud of the part I have played in trying to make RBHS and Columbia, Mo. more accepting places. I hope that through this series I will be able to highlight the humanity and similarities all people share, regardless of cultural, linguistic, racial or ethnic differences.
Once I had successfully published the personality profile video on YouTube and Bearing News, I headed upstairs to take a shower, shave and eat some breakfast (or, more appropriately, lunch). I think I tend to forget how nice it feels to wash my hair and take some time for self-care and relaxation free from electronics. I stepped out of the shower feeling more myself than I had in a few days. I asked my dad to make me an egg sandwich while I was putting on some comfortable clothes. My timing was perfect because when I stepped into the kitchen he was just finishing up.
I took my time and enjoyed eating. When I had finished, I decided to work some more on my top-secret video project that I will reveal tomorrow. I was initially worried not enough students would participate, but after sending out a few reminders and reaching out to my friends for their help, I am really proud of the end result. I even went ahead and filmed my own message to include. It wasn’t the most clever one in the compilation, but I still enjoyed doing it. During this time of uncertainty and near-constant negativity, I am optimistic this message of kindness, appreciation and love will be able to brighten at least one person’s day.
For most of the rest of the day, I watched the supernatural drama Legacies. I know it’s cheesy, but I do enjoy a good vampire, werewolf or witch teen TV show every once in a while. Around 6 p.m., I paused my binge-watching to tune in for an hour-long FaceTime with my aunts, uncles and cousins. We talked for a while about our lives, how everyone is doing and the changes this pandemic has forced all of us to make to our usual routines.
I think for every stage of life people get asked the same group of questions; for me right now, nearly all of them relate to college. I appreciate others taking interest in my life, but after answering, “So, where are you going to college?” for what feels like the thousandth time, my mind starts to shut down, especially when I’m not even 100% sure where I want to be when the school year begins next fall. Adolescence and young adulthood, like much of life, is full of uncertainty. Fielding questions I don’t have the answers to yet can make it seem all the more overwhelming. Hopefully, once I make my final school decision, my attitude will change. But, at least for now, the future seems daunting.
A little after the call ended, my brother asked me if I wanted to watch Veronica Mars, a show about a teenage private eye, with him. We started the series during the summer, but once school started up for me, I was too busy to continue. Falling back into our old, comfortable pattern of TV time together is a nice treat.
I am looking forward to my family’s Easter Sunday celebration tomorrow. Because we can’t go out for our usual buffet breakfast, we are doing crêpes and fruit instead with a more elaborate meal later on. I think we are all starting to settle into our new “normal.” I, for one, am quite content with it.
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” ― Gautama Buddha
How did you spend your 25th day of social distancing? Let us know in the comments below.
