What does it mean to find the beauty behind the madness? Is it in the busyness and commotion? Or do we find it when we take a step back and breathe?
I’ll admit, I was at a loss the first few weeks of quarantine. In denial, I thought life was going to go back to normal any day, and I just had to wait it out, so that’s what I did.
However, the more time passed by, I realized I was literally letting life pass me by. Just because I was stuck in the house didn’t mean I had nothing to do. In fact, I could recall numerous times when I said, “If only I had more time, I would do this or that.”
Now that I had all this time given back to me, how was I using it? Over the next few days, I spent more time reading, thinking and working on creative things that had taken the back burner to my everyday life. Instead of complaining about not being able to go to the gym, I started my own home workouts. I have a clothing brand that I have been working on and over the break I was able to layout my five- to 10-year plan. Then, I spent several weeks designing custom clothing art for one of my friends, Carolina, to use as her artist merchandise that she could sell as she grows her audience. However, out of one of the designs came a song, “Be Like That,” which honestly made all that time and effort doing the design work and revisions worth it.
It was days like this that reminded me that it was worth investing in myself. Then, there would be days when I would just rest and reflect on what I have to be grateful for. Because when there is so much fear around, it’s important to focus on the love all around. No matter how big fear gets, love is deeper still. No matter how difficult things may be, there is always something to smile about, laugh about or talk about that will lift you up and those around you.
In this quarantine, I’ve seen people come together virtually more than ever before, but there is also a huge opportunity to isolate yourself from others. I know I did this a lot in the beginning, but it has been so worth it connecting to friends and family! We were made for community, but community is a two-sided street. We must be intentional about it to get the most out of it.
Also, the thing I’m most grateful for out of quarantine is I have had more time to spend with God. My relationship with God is a big part of my life. In fact, when that relationship is neglected it usually affects all my others and even my own mental and emotional health. Honestly, I’m so grateful for the beauty behind the madness that this time has brought. Despite feeling like so much has been lost, there is so much more that I’ve found out of this time.
If this time has been hard on you, wherever you call home, I want to remind you:
First, that you are not alone. Now more than ever it’s important to stay connected to the people that matter to you.
Second, you have been given this gift of time to spend how you want. Time is the most expensive commodity because you can’t get it back, so it’s important that we choose the course of our day. Maybe it’s time we choose the narrative for our lives, instead of just letting life happen to us.
Thank you, Tarrant County College, for giving me a chance to share my story and thank you to the TCC Northwest Student Activities team for nominating me.
I’m truly grateful to be a student here at a school where students matter. When President Blankenbaker sent the students an encouraging email, it reminded me how much we, as students, matter to the school as a whole.