I didn’t really know what to write my blog about. I didn’t know until today. Me and my dad went out to go pick up sushi for dinner. In the car we put on gloves and a mask before getting out. We went into the restaurant and about 10 other people were inside. No one is wearing a mask or gloves. People weren’t staying 6 ft apart. I’ve been out a few times before, and every time like this one, we get people looking at us like we're crazy. It’s crazy how people look at us like we're insane for taking extra safety precautions. I don’t really care what other people think, but I just find it interesting how quick people are to judge. It’s also interesting how some people don’t seem to put much care into what we're experiencing right now. I’ll be at the store and people will walk right next to me. Like covid-19 is inexistent. For some people like that, it may not seem like a big deal. Some people will say “It’s unlikely we’ll get it” or “It doesn't really do much”. I get how it can seem that way, but you don’t really know until you can experience the pain of someone you love getting it, and the thought of them possibly dying. Those strangers that will walk by me with the slightest care in the world, don’t know the whole story. They don’t know what the impacts could be. For me covid-19 is especially scary. A few months ago my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was one of the most terrifying things I've ever experienced. She got the cancer removed successfully, and now she is going through chemotherapy, and then after she will do radiation to ensure it won’t come back. A lot of people know this but when you're sick like that, your body gets super weak, and can’t handle a lot. So if my mom were to get it, she could very much possibly die. That’s why my whole family needs to be careful. My whole message on this blog includes two things. The first thing is to be careful while this whole virus is going on. Stay safe and think of others before doing things. We’re all gonna get through this. Another thing is that you truly don’t know what people are going through. Someone might seem so happy, but is sad inside. Someone might be a bit strange to you, but don’t make it obvious you feel that way. Think before you do something mean, judge, or say something about someone. How could that make the person feel? How is that spreading positivity? Think about others, before you do something. You could do something that might not seem like a big deal to you, but really something as simple as walking too close to me, could take someone's life.
Alexa K
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I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider; someone that just doesn’t quite fit in with the crowd. I think that a lot of teens can probably relate to me in feeling this way, and if you are at all like me, I'm sure you have tried to figure out why. Personally, I think it's because I’m mature for my age, so much so that I’ve been told I’m an old soul (there’s a reason I’ve been misidentified as a teacher by more than one substitute). I think this “old soul” label perfectly describes me, including the fact that my best friend is probably my Nana, and sometimes it scares both her and I that we are so much alike. I believe that for me, this also has to do with my values. While I think that technology is a great thing and that the future generations are going to do incredible things with it, I also think that there is a lot of room for improvement, specifically, things that we can take from generations past. There are some things in life that just aren’t being learned anymore, many of which are things that can’t be taught in school. If you read the title of this blog post, you might know where I’m going with this, and I’m sorry for the long winded intro. Anyways, I think one of these long lost arts, not being taught, or even really valued, is people skills and the ability to have and hold a conversation. Sure, yes, we can all talk, but that’s not quite what I mean. What I’m getting at here is the ability to hold a conversation with anyone - strangers, bosses, colleagues, friends, grandparents, and how these conversations can affect both yourself and others. Have you ever met someone whom you instantly just clicked with? The day you meet and first talk to each other, you can both instantly have things to talk about and go on and on about? You understand them, and they understand you, sometimes almost as if they are in your head. I love when I meet someone like this, and in particular, my relationship with one of my best friends is like this; the same day we met we talked for numerous hours with no shortage of things to talk about. These kinds of experiences bring us happiness and joy, make us feel valued, important and like we’re not alone. Being an outgoing extrovert, conversations with others give me joy! I especially like when those conversations are meaningful and personal, such as when someone goes above and beyond in answering how their day is going, and shares something more personal, or the brutally honest stuff. Even a simple question or comment from a stranger brings me joy. Sometimes, if I’m feeling frustrated or upset, having a face to face conversation can make my mood totally turn around and help me see the good and positivity in my day. Often those random conversations are the highlight of my day and my daily gratitude takeaway. Being brutally honest, I struggle to have these conversations with many other teenagers. Often I feel like too many of those conversations, if I have them at all, are bland and surface level. When it comes to technology, sometimes the very thing that was created to bring each other closer together (technology, social media, and other communication apps) only creates a bigger wall that we have to break down to truly have these deep conversations. As much as I love that technology is bringing us together, it only makes it easier to see, hear, or communicate with one another. It doesn’t build these personal relationships for us. Personally, talking over the phone or messaging someone through Instagram or Snapchat just doesn’t feel the same. Because of our current situation of quarantining and social distancing due to Covid-19, we’ve had to learn how to use technology as our only connection to keep personal relationships going and to stay connected with one another. The first time I learned to use Zoom, I felt like I only missed that person more after seeing their face and talking to them through a computer. It just wasn’t the same. We’ve all had to learn and adapt during this time, but communication using technology would never be my first choice. If I did have a choice, I would way rather go up and talk to you. I don’t know about you, but I really miss these in-person conversations. I hope that this time during Covid-19 has helped society (and each individual person) see what the world is like communicating from behind a screen and that we should never again take face-to-face conversations and personal connections for granted. Olivia K I was laying in my bed trying to come up with a good blog topic. I wanted to write about something that’s relevant and relatable. But it seemed like any and every idea I had wasn't good enough. And that thought right there was when it hit me, so I let the words pour out and here we go. Take a minute to picture something for me. I want you to imagine a rock. This rock can be big, small, wide, thin, smooth or jagged. Got it? Cool. Imagine a beach next to a gorgeous, crystal clear ocean. Close your eyes and picture your rock, sitting half in the sand, about five feet away from the water. All of a sudden, it gets really windy. The ocean gets choppy, maybe the sky changes colour and whatever is on your beach (leaves, sand, etc) starts moving in the wind. The longer the wind blows, the higher the tide gets and eventually, the rock is only a few inches from the ocean. In case you haven’t noticed, this whole situation is a metaphor. You are the rock, the sand is anything holding you back, the ocean is everything you want and the wind is the push you need to accomplish your goals. My ocean was confidence, my sand was a negative mindset and bad thoughts like “I’m not good enough” and my wind has been a big mix up of things. If you read the title, then you’ll know that the wind is really what I wanted to talk about, especially because it will look different to me than it will to you. The “wind” is supposed to represent the things pushing you towards your goal (the ocean). I thought push was a good word because it can be applied to both the metaphor and the real meaning. This leads me to my first kind of specification thing. There’s a difference between push and shove. A push can still be gentle, like a cute little nudge or something not very hardcore. The harder you push, the more immediate your results will appear. But something super important to realise is that you absolutely need a balance of short and long term wind so that you will not only reach the ocean, but so that you will stay there. Tying this back into our metaphor, a stronger wind blows your rock closer to the ocean sooner. But your rock will never make it to the ocean with just short, strong gusts of wind, it needs to have a gentle breeze constantly moving it towards the water, even if it's at a slower rate. Hopefully this whole metaphor thing isn’t confusing you, the whole point was to make everything easier to understand but I’m switching back to real life now (for the most part). My wind changes a lot, but that is a very good thing because it means I am growing and learning and adapting. Right now, a lot of my bursts of wind look like this:
I am most definitely not at my ocean yet but I am proud of my movement and I will keep moving forward until I get to where I want to be. Stay safe and stay sane, - Nevada J There are so many things that i'm looking forward to in post-quarantine life: going out with my friends, playing sports again, being able to actually hug my friends and extended family, and going for a nice long run without having to zigzag around as many people as possible. But those activities are all just fun and games; when I think about how fast paced my life will be again after quarantine, it almost gives me a mini heart attack! Going from school to playing three different sports in a row and then coming home at 11pm to finish all my homework for the next day is usually a challenging task for me. Especially when I have to stay mentally present for the entire day without a rest (except for when I take that one nap in an anonymous class). Having said that, I actually enjoy a busy schedule because it keeps structure in my life and being able to do all these activities along with school is definitely not something to complain about. But my time in quarantine has honestly given me a new appreciation for being able to slow things down and just take a deep breath. Since everything had suddenly come to a temporary stop, I've been able to acquire a few new skills. I have learned how to cook (and I really hope i'm not the only human my age who just learned how an oven works), I have become an adequate gamer, I've done some artwork, and I've actually started playing all my instruments again. I know it’s unrealistic to want this much time on my hands post-quarantine. And I can’t wait to have freedom to be out in the world again because if it’s like this for much longer then i'll probably start to go insane. But at the end of the day, what I really want is more balance throughout my days. I want more room to breathe and to slow down so that I can savour the moments, and be focused on the present time.
So instead of just surviving this quarantine, I want to learn from it and embrace it. It’s a new experience to all of us and I think that it’s important to try and find the good that's come from this and to really be able to appreciate everything we have especially during these hard times. Brianna J |
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