When Murray State students, like so many others, learned their in-person classes would be cancelled for the remainder of the academic year, it was an unexpected bombshell.
The campus once overflowing with the hustle and bustle of campus activities, classes and blooming friendships has come to a screeching halt, prompting each of us to accept an unenviable lifestyle of isolation as our country tries to combat the spread of COVID-19.
But what originated as an unwelcome disruption has, for me, become a chance to slow down and take a step back.
When I think about a typical school year, I think of the unceasing workload from my classes, the rigors of maintaining a part-time job and the challenges of balancing the remnants of a social life in the meantime.
Well, newsflash: it’s not a typical school year. My in-person classes have been replaced with online courses; my position at my job was furloughed indefinitely; and my social life can be summed up by blue bubbles on an iPhone screen and the occasional Zoom video call to keep my sanity.
But for all the confusion, depression and even anger I can admit to experiencing over the past year of this quarantine (it’s been that long, right?), I can wholeheartedly say it’s been good for me.
When are we ever going to get this opportunity again? No school, no restaurants, no jobs, no sports, no social commitments. Don’t get me wrong, I would trade normalcy back in a second, but think about the opportunity we all have for self-improvement.
Personally, I’ve made an effort to read more, no longer constrained by the overplayed excuses of “no time” and “no energy.” I’ve tried to grow more spiritually in addition to academically, because I know things will be different in a few months.
I’ve tried to cook more, exercise more creatively and take time to enjoy the insignificant treasures in life like hikes outside and more intimate time with family.
As I turn the news on, check social media or even talk to friends, it’s easy to let the morbid details of this pandemic make me irrational and bleak. With no obvious end in sight, we’re clinging to any piece of hope and positivity we can find.
I implore students and adults alike to create their own positivity. Use this time of isolation to learn something new, invest in someone and focus on your growth. This time is so unprecedented, and we will likely never experience anything like it again, so maximize it. Your screens will be just as readily available as they were before this pandemic, but the surplus of time won’t be. Use it wisely.