Since I have been on spring break my life has been turned upside down; along with everyone else. My hometown is Springfield, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. I live with my mom, dad and sister; and not once did I ever think I’d spend this much time with them. The outbreak of the coronavirus has caused a drastic change in my family’s life. My dad, who works in Philly is working remotely, my mom, a hairdresser, doesn’t have a job, and my sister, a senior in high school, is waiting for her access back to school. It hasn’t been awfully crazy in my house yet, but this pandemic has clearly become emotionally challenging for all four of us.
I feel as if I am relatively lucky where I live; all the safety precautions are being taken to protect residents of Pennsylvania. Where I live in particular doesn’t have an unbelievable amount of cases yet, and everyone seems to be taking social distancing seriously. Social distancing is very important to me right now, especially given I live with people who are at high risk. When this pandemic began, I thought all my family members were fine; but when I realized people with asthma were at higher risk, I became more cautious. Both my mom and sister have pretty bad asthma, so this disease could take a toll on them. It’s a terrifying thought to think that if one of them got this how much they would struggle. I started offering to my family if they need groceries that I would go out and buy them. My dad on the other hand is in his 50’s, and even though that’s not over 60, it worries me. I feel as the one who is at the lowest risk out of my family members, I need to step up and watch out for them.
While this pandemic is occurring, I am trying to stay optimistic and take this time to better myself. This situation we are all in is something none of us have truly experienced. Since I am not used to spending this much time indoors, I wake up every day with a new task for myself. My tasks aren’t anything crazy, but they are something to keep my mind occupied for a few hours. One task in particular I set for myself is making sure I am still active. When you are stuck inside all day it is easy to fall into routine of sitting around all day. I make sure to stay active by doing at home workouts, walking my dog or taking her out back to play. It’s not what I’m used to, but it’s not the worst compromise either.
Overall, this pandemic is making me grateful for the life I have. I am thankful my family is safe, and hope we all continue to stay healthy during this time.