BLOG: An unexpected guest
EDITORS NOTE: 5/2/20 – Post has been updated to include a reflection blog by the author.
April 7, 2020
When the news stations began to broadcast that COVID-19 was spreading to different states in America, the news still felt pretty far away because it had not hit Texas yet. Once the first case showed up in Missouri City, I feel like that is when I and many others began to take the outbreak more seriously.
Since all of this information started coming in right around the time of spring break it was scary being worried about where it was considered safe to go and where it was not. On top of that, the airlines dangling cheap tickets did not help and I was ready to book a trip, but then I got sick.
I started to feel pretty sick on a Wednesday afternoon, so I immediately released the rest of my shifts for the week to avoid being around other people. While watching the news and looking at social media I started self-diagnosing and began believing that I might have the disease. My symptoms included body aches, sneezing, coughing and just feeling tired.
I did not want to go to the hospital because they said not to go unless you could not break a fever or could not breathe. By Saturday morning, my body was in a lot of pain; thankfully I have a friend who is a nurse and told me that I had the flu and not COVID-19.
I never thought I would be thankful for the flu, but I am because being someone who suffers from asthma, I did not want to have to experience having to fight this disease. I am much better now but I do recommend everyone to take social distancing and staying home seriously.
It is disappointing not being able to finish my last full semester on campus, having to do all my classes online and being told that commencement ceremonies have now been pushed back to either summer or the fall semester. But, if that keeps everyone healthy then I do understand and agree with the reasoning.
I believe strongly in the saying, “this, too, shall pass,” and I know that it will, but for right now making sure everyone is healthy and not at risk is extremely important and comes first.
I just encourage everyone to continue to take every day one day at a time because we will get through this and be better.
May 2, 2020
As I continue to take every day one day at a time, the transition from face-to-face classes to online for this spring semester has not been too bad.
Learning to readjust from one schedule I had set for my life to a totally different schedule probably has been the hardest part of this new journey.
The key to it all, I like to think I have figured out, is to just let the day be the day. Before COVID-19, I stuck to such a strict schedule, so my life could flow the way that I thought it needed to go. Now that we are going through this pandemic, I have learned that it is okay to mess up the flow.
Now don’t get me wrong, class-work still has to get done and I still go to work, so I am still on a schedule, but some days I just decide to let the day pick how that schedule will look.
Sometimes I wake up and feel like doing yoga and being on a healthy trend. Then, some mornings I wake up feeling like eating a feast for breakfast and watching Netflix for the rest of the day. Not having every day be like a drill sheet but discovering and being open to what the day has to bring has been helpful.
During this pandemic, it has also bought my family closer. Being people that are always on the go, we are now able to sit down and have family time. We get to joke together, share meals together and make memories that before seemed so minute.
Not every day has been easy, and some days I wake up and wish life was back to what we once considered normal. But, being able to look for a brighter side in every situation has been another key in transitioning into this new way of life.
And on the days that there is not a brighter side to find, I encourage everyone to continue to remember this Oscar Wilde quote, “when it rains, we look for rainbows, and when it’s dark we look for stars.” One day this all will be behind us.
