In stark contrast to previous years, I decided to designate this year’s spring break, my last, as a chance to recoil to my home in New Jersey and spend time with my family before heading back to finish my final semester of college. My spring breaks of yesteryear were memorable adventures of fleeting youth – varying from sipping strong drinks on the beaches of Mexico with my closest friends to frolicking from one European city to the next, all the while consciously naïve of all that lay ahead, but never imagining the lengths to which reality would fool us all.
Unbeknownst to me, I would not receive just one week at home with my family but rather an indefinite number. Weeks – likely stretching from the blistery final frosts of winter into the tail end of spring, when the buds on the trees will be swollen, on the verge of exploding into leaves, those treasured green signs of life.
My spring break at home quickly unraveled from a carefree weekend trip to Boston with my brothers to the shock of a grocery store filled with countless empty shelves. New Jersey is currently under a lockdown, with residents strongly encouraged to remain at home, only to leave for essentials, such as to the grocery store or the pharmacy. These restrictions are unprecedented and have caught the entire population off guard and full of nostalgia for the comfort of normal daily life. Living close to New York City, my community has felt the pressure of the rising number of cases in the area, and we are doing our best to stay home and be smart.
So, I sit here in my home in the suburbs of New Jersey, meanwhile my mind in my beloved little college town in central Pennsylvania that has grown to feel like a second home to me over the past four years. I sit trying to swallow the oversized pill of the abrupt end of my college career. I think of all of my “lasts” that at that time, I didn’t know were – the walk down Pugh Street to a creaky old house shared with 8 of my close friends, clocking out at my part-time job that I leaned on for money and for life lessons, feeling the pride that is undeniable while passing Old Main on the walk to class. These things and more have molded my time at Penn State and shaped the way I see myself and the world.
My family and I have found ways to pass the time, such as a competitive game of Scrabble or convening each night on the couch for a movie. Giving my dog a bath on the driveway with my brother provided for some much needed laughter. I am thankful to have these simple distractions from my own mourning of my senior year, but also from the greater issue of the global pandemic at hand. I also know that I am lucky to have basic needs like food, water, and shelter in this time when it is often taken for granted.
Hopefully along with the ushering in of green grass, blue skies, and blooming flowers also returns normalcy. Tight hugs and whispers of “love you” to friends and loved ones… thoughtful conversations pored over beautiful meals in noisy restaurants. Handshakes to seal ambitious deals and business plans, and kisses on grandparent’s cheeks. And, when all of these things come back to us, may they be sweeter and more cherished than before.