Back in session. I have been thinking a lot about late March/early April when quarantine all began. I think there were phases within the quarantine phase. I remember I was babysitting on a Thursday evening, for the family that I actually nannied for one day a week. The parents were going to see a Broadway touring show. I remember they came back early that day, they texted me saying the show got canceled, they were going to go to the grocery store and be home. That was either the same day or the day after the Jazz game was canceled. After that, is when everything changed.
That is when other business started closing. And by the next week, schools had been closed down. So then social distancing was being highly emphasized, and the family I nannied for of course had me not come as everyone was doing their best to obey social distancing guidelines. Of course stopped going to the dance studio to teach voice lessons. I had some online jobs luckily which stayed the same. Some of my private voice lessons stopped taking, and others just moved to Zoom which honestly is great. And it was so important to keep as much familiarity and interaction as possible. Oh yes- I had another job I worked at a wedding event place, which at first tentatively closed down, and eventually the entire place closed.
During this time, I remember the initial excitement of something new. Of course it wasn't "good news" but it was certainly the first time anything like this had ever happened. Personally, my job situation didn't change as drastically as many people's but certainly some did. There was this energy in the air like "what do we do!" I think I drove to the mountains fairly often to go find hiking trails. I met a women one day on the hike who we chatted (across the trail from each other) as back then everyone was hecka scared to be by people. People would go wide away from each other when we walked by each other. We chatted and got each other's numbers and it was so nice to talk to someone.
It was strange, even though my time wasn't that different, it FELT different, so I had all this new fresh energy for my morning routines. It was similar to the feeling of Christmas break when there is "nothing to do, nowhere to be". I did a yoga video every morning, and then I started taking ballet from IGTV. My friend sent me one friend that was teaching on instagram, and after I found that I found dozens and dozens of teachers and studios who were doing free classes on instagram. Ballet became part of my normal routine. I also learned to do a headstand during quarantine!
I went on walks ALL the time. It was spring time, and the flowers were absolutely amazing. :) It started to become a joke I saw on instagram people saying "going on my 16th walk of the day". Because EVERYONE was feeling this feeling of having this time. (Everyone of course except essential employees, which boy are we grateful for them. Certainly not eveyone was given all this free time). Then after a while, I remember the "fun" wore off and I was filled with anxiety and panic and like I wanted to throw a big temper tantrum. Again, I don't think I was the only one. I had plans, as did you, that got cancled. I was supposed to go to Scotland on a retreat in April. And then, I was planning on moving out of the state in the Fall. And I was in the middle of applying for au pair jobs internationally. But I am very aware, of patterns in people. And in myself. I know well enough that I have this pattern of looking for adventures. So my inner temper tantrums would come when I would feel dissatisfied, and then I would go to look up nannying in Australia for example, and then face the reality that it wasn't an option.
Moving to California to be close to Disneyland wasn't an option. (First- California's numbers were way worse than mine, and secondly, Disneyland wasn't looking to open anytime soon).
The blessings and positives of quarantine that I saw many people speak up about, are true for me as well. I read many articles during this time about how this was a time for everyone to slow down. Spend more time with their kids. The earth was healthier with less pollution. People had to sit with themself in ways they never had before. It taught us all how future oriented we are, how much of planners we are, and how much control we think we have that we don't. It showed that even a "stable" job isn't secure. If someone with a 9 to 5 "secure" job could lose their job at any given day, then that was even more of a sign to me that you might as well pursue your "unstable" passion job. Nothing is really secure. Control is an illusion.
I remember at the beginning, lots of people wore masks, and it was HIGHLY recommended. Then I remember when the masks faded off. And then, there was another spike and all the sudden masks were simply not optional. For example, when I went to a grocery store in April, I would try to remember my mask, but if I didn't have it I would still go. But now, if I forget a mask it's like DANG IT I CAN'T GO! It literally is expected now. Travel is still banned which is one of the saddest things for me. I still look up flights and day dream, which I don't know why there are even flights going anywhere if we aren't allowed.
Everyone who knows me usually asks me all about my summer plans because every summer I can remember I seem to go on about 13 trips/camps/workshops/ etc. Or I'm gone the whole summer. Last summer I was in Thailand, the summer before I was in Hawaii. Well now here we are and school has just started up again...I haven't gone ANYWHERE. I'm not kidding not even a camping trip. Zero. The last place I went, was to Florida at the end of January for my dream audition!!! JANUARY YA'LL! That's too long for Annie not to travel.
I'm so deliriously hungry for travel that I was reminiscing about layovers the other day. LAYOVERS. I love the feeling of travel and flying to new places.
That's all for now folks! I want to know, what's one thing you took away from quarantine?
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