What Do We Do When Apocalypse Hits?
SMC students Emma Palm, Linn Karlsson and Elin Lidholm enjoying what might be their last hike in a while as parking lots close to avoid crowds gathering during the pandemic. (Johan Rosdahl / The Corsair)
“I think we have to be painfully honest here tonight, that we’re about to enter into a new way of living here in Los Angeles for a period.” These words are from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s press conference on March 19 and it’s safe to say they were right on the money. For many, myself included, the rapid development of the Coronavirus, COVID-19, has turned everyday life on its head. I’ve spent more hours on my couch in the past week than I would like to admit and it’s getting harder every day to remember what real pants feel like.
But in times like this where there’s seemingly doom and gloom everywhere you look, I believe it’s important to try and find positives. I have the utmost respect for all of those people out there that now struggle to pay rent because they’re not allowed to work, or those learning how to homeschool children that would otherwise be in school or at daycare while they learn how to work from home themselves. The situation we’re in is unprecedented for the vast majority of us and while it might feel like your whole reality is being shattered in front of your eyes, accepting and adjusting to the best of our ability is the only thing we can do until this storm passes. We all must play with the cards we are given; now is he time to do the best we can with what we have.
For me personally, these last days have been about finding something meaningful to do with the time on my hands, and it hasn’t been easy. Sure I can binge watch Game of Thrones again, or play another pointless game of FIFA against any of my roommates, but that has quickly lost its beauty. A challenging time like this tells us a lot about ourselves if we’re willing to listen. When my grandkids ask me about this pandemic however many years from now, I don’t want to be the person that tells them “nothing.”
I considered picking up surfing, then beach parking closed. I did manage a few hikes before the parks and parking lots started closing, but now those are off the table. So what do we do to pass time, be productive and feel like we are moving forward with our lives when most of society is coming to a halt? I’ve asked myself that question multiple times and the answer I keep coming back to is be creative. Sounds easy enough right?
Being creative however means different things to all of us, and we all have different circumstances that might limit us in that process. I try to look at it like this; what can I do today that I couldn’t do before this virus came along? Is there something I would like to learn, a new skill? It doesn’t have to be anything extraordinary or life-changing. Read a book or use the time we have now been given to work on relations or your own physical and mental well-being, no matter what it might be, it is my firm belief there is something for all of us that will make this easier and more manageable. When it feels like the doors to our normal lives have been shut in our faces, we must try to turn around and see what doors might open up in their place.
