By: Lauren Kim
My mouth was curved, forming a large smile as I danced and sang my heart out in my bedroom like it was a karaoke room. Within that moment, I could hear and see everything so precisely. My friends singing along with the music in the voice chat, my fluttering, flashing keyboard, my bright monitor shining, making my entire room glow with fluorescent light. I let myself grasp some air as I was truly singing my heart out for a moment. I set my headset to the side as my ears stung of a slight pain from having them on throughout the whole evening. Everything was quiet except for the small noises I could hear which echoed from my headset.
I rolled my neck to give it a little stretch and turned to see what time it was. When I saw my phone read 1:00 AM, I became a little shocked. 1 AM? Jeez, how time flies when you’re having fun… I’m finally enjoying myself for once, finally giving myself a chance to breathe.
I took a deep breath in and out. I placed my headset on my head again, but didn’t speak. I sat in my room alone, thinking about all the events that had occurred over the quarantine and how much I had changed. I had grown so much as a person and I had found who my real friends were, compared to the people who were simply existing in my life. Although quarantine had led to the halt of many expected sports seasons and family vacations, I attempted a different take on this “dreadful” break. Being honest, I can say that it’s worked out well for me.
Everyday, I continue to better myself, whether it be educationally or socially. I have achieved so much in so little time, goals that I never even fathomed of reaching. For starters, I became a part of this phenomenal blog team which provided me with the opportunity and resources to progress as a yearning writer. I picked up coding as well (HTML and CSS to be exact), and I can, without a doubt, say that it is a struggle to remember all the different tags but so much fun to be learning something that will help me out in the future. I remember wanting to know how to create a website because when I was searching for volunteer opportunities, I saw more than many small businesses or organizations that needed a website designer. I also started playing video games which honestly has changed my life. Although I play a little more than I should (which is totally okay when it comes to my life as I do get my work done), I have met so many friends that I know I will stay connected with for a long time. It’s also a great method to relieve stress and what I would call exercising my brain while genuinely having fun.
All in all, I would say to begin taking a different viewpoint for the rest of the quarantine. Take this time to learn something new, to put your best foot forward when it comes to school (yes seriously, school is so much more important than you think!), or to focus on building a stronger relationship with your family. Sports events and hangouts at the mall with friends will be available after the quarantine ends (although you shouldn’t be going outside often for your safety and the people around you). Simply put, don’t waste this chance to grow and explore, whether that be as a student, as a daughter or son, or even a sibling. This is your chance to attempt the things you’ve always wanted to do. This is your safety net, in case things don’t go right. This is your time to shine, claim it, claim it proudly.