The age of Covid-19 has meant many things to many people. I managed to find myself in what is likely one of the few years in my life that I really would not have preferred a global pandemic to occur and shut everything down. Not only am I a college student who was just really starting to find their groove and accomplish all they wanted to accomplish in college, but I managed to find myself at that point in my senior year of college, meaning all of these things that had started to come to fruition were chopped at the stem and left to never have the opportunity to grow again. Too many events left cancelled, goodbyes left unsaid, memories left unmade, and lasts that I couldn’t expected to be lasts. No more sport club practices, intramurals, or lenoir (yes I had a meal plan as a senior, and I was proud of it) left to go back to.
Now maybe this sounds dark and depressing, and seeing it in writing myself is a little bit unsettling, but surprisingly, I don’t feel much more than nostalgia. Maybe I have already come to terms with all that has past, maybe Micro prepared me for it, or maybe its yet to hit me, who knows. Only time will tell. I am currently staying with a friend out in a rural community in western NC, as I did not have an opportunity to schedule a flight home before everything went downhill and don’t feel like now is a time to be taking flights. I realized I am likely in one of the safest communities possible right now, as people are spread few and far in between already, and don’t travel much at all, so social distancing hardly takes much effort here to enact. Mostly, what I struggle with most right now besides making sure I am correctly juggling the due dates for all my new online assignments, is the always looming BOREDOM.
Keeping myself entertained outside of class time has been quite an underdog in terms of what I expected to face during this time. When faced with long periods of free time, I am not someone who is content with sitting down for long Netflix sessions. I have a strong need to feel productive, to use my time to get something done. My capabilities for that have been somewhat diminished but not nearly as much as other things, because the internet is a wonderful place. I can’t go out and build a shed, go rock climbing with my friends, but I can still further myself. I have been doing copious amounts of home workouts, running, and research into how to train with minimal supplies for different physical feats such as handstands, front-levers and the like. I tried a few different things to fill the time, and this has brought me the most feeling of fulfillment while loosely under house arrest. I also have just been looking into various intellectual interests, and have found solace also in the UNC meme page on Facebook in particular, a page filled with people in similar situations, using humor as a coping mechanisms. I was especially comforted by the meme pictured below, which gives me hope that my musings will eventually lead to something greater coming out of these wild times.
Greg's Micro Blog 