Graduation party, anyone? Today is May 16.

At this point, I’m just annoyed with the absurd amount of sleep my body is demanding. Seriously, shouldn’t I be able to get out of bed before the day is halfway over and not feel exhausted? I know at the beginning of all this I was probably just catching up on all the sleep I didn’t get during the school year, but by this point I expected to have at least a semblance of regularity in my life. I guess that’s just too much to ask for.

On the bright side, however, I have found I can feel full for quite a while if I eat a bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and honey. I don’t think I could stomach a large bowl of plain oatmeal, but adding in some extra flavors and textures makes the dish pretty tasty. I’m definitely more of a grazer than a person who enjoys a few large meals, but eating a filling breakfast helps tide me over when my family’s planning a day of standardized meals.

In the early afternoon, I decided to take half an hour to work out. A couple weeks ago I’d gotten into a regular exercise routine for a while, but then I let it fall to the wayside. Once Advanced Placement (AP) tests are finally done, I’m hoping I can get back into a consistent pattern with my workout days. I lifted weights and did jumping jacks, calf raises, sit-ups, lunges and a few other exercises. 

By the end I felt a little wobbly, likely because of the break I took and because I’m out of shape, so I made sure to drink lots of water. I’ve noticed I tend to get dehydrated more frequently during this time than during the regular school year. My guess is that’s happening because when I’m at school or during volleyball season I have my water bottle with me and am hydrating frequently, but now because I don’t do much during my day, I’m not drinking nearly as much water.

My mom got home from her hot yoga class a few minutes before I finished working out, and once she was done taking her shower we chatted for a little bit. We were both feeling peckish, so we ended up splitting a bag of popcorn to ease our appetites. I’m usually not a huge fan of popcorn because the butter gets all over my fingers, but today it tasted pretty good.

While I’d been exercising, the sky had opened up and rained heavily for about three minutes. I’d expected a longer series of showers, but I decided to take advantage of the thunder cloud-less sky and walk around my backyard for a bit. A few years ago we had wild blackberries and black raspberries growing on the edge of our woods, but I didn’t see them when I was out and about. I’m hoping I just missed them because they’re a lovely treat, but maybe the deer just got to them first. The weather was perfect, if a little humid, but my allergies had been acting up all day, so I didn’t want to be outside for too long.

In the evening, my parents had a Zoom happy hour call with some of our family friends. They talked about politics, the pandemic, graduation and their high school memories, as well as the general niceties of work and life. It’s strange how everyone has been forced to adapt to our circumstances, but I do enjoy the way the crisis has also connected us. If all of this wasn’t happening, today was supposed to be the day of my graduation party. It’s crazy to think that during a normal year I’d have spent all day hosting people, seeing friends and family and reminiscing about high school (which only ended a day ago). Perhaps in a few months we might be able to host a party, but by that time it would likely be a going off to college-themed one.

I only have a few days left to study for my final two AP tests, so I’m going to crack down and power through so I can try to ensure a couple more high scores. I don’t have any control over the world or my circumstances, but I can do my best to work hard and better my life from the inside out. Until I can re-enter the world under whatever “normal” circumstances look like after this, I’m going to take advantage of the time and opportunities I have however I can.

“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.” ― Joshua Graham

How did you spend your 60th day of social distancing? Let us know in the comments below.