Coronavirus. Covid 19 has affected the world, this virus has made all of us, hopefully look inward and reflect on our relationships with each other and the world. With many of us, under or unemployed we have needed to stay strong and find some glimmer of hope in these trying times. For some, this has been more of a struggle than for others, staying positive and staying the course. However, I have learned a few things about myself and my roommates, who are now 17 and 20. I’d like to share them with you today.

            I have learned that I can cry at the drop of a hat, a fact that I only suspected was true until I was unable to go out and play with my friends. I have learned that I don’t like being told what to do, again something I had always suspected but never fully accepted until now. I have learned that I am an ambivert, which means that sometimes I can process internally, like lying in bed in the fetal position and sometimes I process externally, like screaming naked at the full moon. I have learned that I am extremely talented at remembering and retaining names, as I can now recite every character from The Office’s, first, middle and last names. I have re-learned that Netflix asking me if I am “still watching”, is a stupidly redundant question. I have learned that my 17-year-old roommate, does indeed steal my towels, because they “are fluffier” even though all of the towels come from the same place, our dryer.

            I have learned that my 20-year-old roommate can kick my ass in a leg wrestling, not too much of a surprise, but until now I remained hopeful. I have learned that my friends are intricate to my mental health and I rely on their guidance and strength. I have learned that the saying “The days are long, but the years are short” is true except the years are indeed as long as the days. I have learned that no matter how hard I try, home improvement projects are better left to my handyman, Corey, he possesses the talent and patience that I do not possess. I have learned that my phone is for my convenience and mine alone. I have learned that ex-boyfriends get disinterested in isolating and want to find a way back into my life, and by life, I mean my pants. But the most important thing I have learned in this pause of “normal life” is nothing, I’ve learned nothing of substance. We’re all going to die, wearing PPE, and never able to hug our friends or elders ever again.