Being a teenager in the time of a pandemic certainly has been an interesting experience. Yet when reflecting on this experience, I believe that the act of social distancing has helped my friends and I come up with new ways to keep us hopeful for our future. Without a doubt, I do realize that social distancing has proven to be frustrating for many, including myself.
However, I stand by my point that social distancing is not entirely terrible. For starters, my friends and I have come up with creative ways to stay social with one another. Just the other weekend, a close friend of mine suggested we try something called “virtual baking.” Basically, this is a process where we both researched a recipe we wanted to try, then, we called one another on FaceTime while we each baked the same recipe! I know I had a really fun time, and while it is not the same as baking with each other, I still was able to safely spend time with this friend, while doing something we both love! Similarly, my friends and I try to come up with ways to spend time and work together in school hours. Due to the pandemic, my eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C. had been canceled, leaving the school to encourage the students to take a “virtual D.C. tour” in place of this trip. On my first day of this tour, another close friend of mine called me on FaceTime to do the virtual activities together, and we acted as if we were taking the trip together! Again, nothing can replace the true experience of the trip, but I found that I could still enjoy the idea of going away with my friends, while also learning new things!
In these ways, and many more, I do strongly believe that while social distancing has been hard, it has also motivated so many to become more creative in the things we do! When I think back on how many fond memories I have created just because my friends and I decided to do something about social distancing, rather than sitting and complaining about the restrictions it causes. These are incredibly stressful times, and everyone is certainly entitled to their personal opinions. But I only wish to remind everyone that there is still hope, and there are so many ways we can be apart, but still together.
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