Moments of calm and chaos happen back to back. Today is July 28.
I felt quite proud of myself for waking up early, at least until I realized my dad and brother had already gotten up and played tennis before I even opened my eyes. I had a busy day today, starting with an allergist appointment at 11:30 a.m. I remember writing about going to my last antigen refill appointment in one of these entries. Time has dragged on for months, but now it feels as if the rest of my summer is vanishing before my eyes. Within the week August will be upon me, and I’m not sure if I’ll be ready.
Between the time I got out of bed and when I stepped into the car to go to the allergist, I managed to find photos to print off for friends in the afternoon, take a shower, write a thank you note, talk with my mom about my graduation party and watch part of an episode of ER. My shower wasn’t quite as relaxing as I’d have liked, but being clean felt nice. I did it in the morning rather than waiting until I got back from running errands so my hair would have time to dry, which leaves it curly. I hoped it would still look fine for pictures in the evening, but if I waited until I got home I feared it wouldn’t dry in time.
My allergist appointment lasted about an hour from the time I arrived to when my mom picked me up. She’d gone to Panera and gotten gas while she was waiting for me. Once I left the doctor’s office, we headed to the Post Office to drop off two thank you notes and mail in my ballot for the upcoming election. I’d filled it out last night and wanted to make sure I got it sent in time so my vote is counted. The process was relatively painless, and I was in and out of the building in minutes.
From there my mom and I headed to JCPenney to return the two dresses I didn’t keep and pick up a couple items I’d need. The fitting rooms were closed because of the pandemic for sanitation purposes, so I couldn’t try anything on. We did our best to guestimate (which may or may not be a real word) sizes and fit and were ultimately successful. I hate shopping, but it didn’t take too long so I survived with only minimal complaining. I dread the day I have to learn how to shop on my own. For now I’m relying on my mother to be my eyes and patience within clothing stores.
When we got home I tried on the items we purchased. To my happiness, everything fit just fine, so I won’t have to make a return trip to the store. All I’d had to eat at that point was a yogurt cup before my allergist appointment, so I sat down and enjoyed the muffin my mom had picked up for me when she got her coffee. I was a little brain dead, so I spaced out and watched another couple episodes of ER. After a while our home phone rang, and I was the one who answered. I couldn’t initially tell by his voice, but it was a family friend calling us to ask about my graduation party. He and his family are basically my un-official relatives, so I was glad when he said they’d be able to attend. He was worried about being safe at the party, but we assured him everyone would be wearing masks and we’d stay socially distanced.
At 2:30 p.m. I had to attend a Zoom meeting for Walter Williams Scholars, which is an honor within the University of Missouri―Columbia’s journalism school. The meeting lasted about 50 minutes and featured a breakout room where we could talk with a student who’s currently in the program. I already know what I’m wanting to focus on for the most part, so I went with Moy Zhong who is a friend of mine and an amazing artist and person. I had fun listening to her talk, and she made the meeting far less boring than it could have been otherwise.
In the afternoon my mom and I went downstairs to figure out how to print a few photos on our printer using glossy photo paper. Earlier in the day I’d selected several pictures I wanted to give to my friends when I saw them later, so she helped me out. The images turned out well, and when I passed them out my friends seemed appreciative and excited. I was glad my small gesture of kindness could make them happy.
When my brother got home from work, my parents made dinner. My brother wasn’t feeling well, so he passed on eating with us. My parents and I talked and enjoyed our food together outside on the deck. The weather was lovely. I hope it is this nice during my graduation party Sunday, but even if it isn’t I’ll be happy as long as there’s no rain.
After I finished eating, I headed to my room to change and put on some makeup. The photo event was casual dress, but I used it as an excuse to wear one of my new dresses and look nice. I wish I hadn’t worn my new white shoes though because I scuffed and damaged them a little when the six of us climbed on top of the RBHS sign in the circle drive. We took several different pictures, all of us wearing masks as well as our caps and gowns. I can’t wait to see how they turned out.
We hung out and talked for some time after taking the pictures, which was nice. Eventually it got dark and I decided to call it quits and head home. I was feeling tired and didn’t want to be unfocused while driving. When I got back I changed out of my dress clothes and washed my face of makeup. I’ll be back in probably the exact same outfit Friday, so I’m glad to know everything fits well and looks nice. With a busy day of racing around and having to be social with people, I was grateful to have some time to myself to decompress and relax before going to sleep. I’m planning to submit it Thursday, so between now and then I have to finish my essay, write a statement of financial need and add a few changes to my resume. Tomorrow I’m ripping apart my scholarship essay once more, hopefully creating a more than passable final draft. I want to have ample mental energy then, so an early bedtime tonight sounded great.
“So plant your own gardens and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.” ― Jorge Luis Borges
How did you spend your 133rd day of social distancing? Let us know in the comments below.
