Shredding through quarantine

2019 was the year where people went out, had fun, and enjoyed traveling with no restrictions. Schools were filled with kids learning, messing around, and having fun. Teenagers were getting ready for prom, homecoming, and enjoying their clubs. Places were still open; businesses were booming with revenue. Citizens enjoyed their days of peacefulness and productivity. That was until 2020 hit, and the pandemic of Covid 19 spread like wildfire. Businesses shut down for a while. There was no more traveling to different places, schools went to virtual learning programs, the graduation class of 2020 had no graduation parties, and the most unfortunate event in this pandemic is that many people passed away because of Covid 19 with no vaccine.

Face masks began to become a daily requirement. No matter where you went, a face mask is demanded in all stores and restaurants—social distance spot markers of 6ft pasted on the floor. This pandemic caused many problems for thousands and millions of people; this includes losing jobs, loneliness, boredom, citizens struggling to have another source of income, and small corporations going out of business. Which made the average everyday person have a lot of time on their hands. This time in quarantine gave people some time to think to themselves and find new hobbies.

Now 2021, the pandemic is not over, but there's a vaccine for Covid 19, and places have started to open again. During this time, what kept me at peace was shredding off the negativity of toxic emotions, people, bad energy, you name it. Quarantine was a time of self-improvement. For me, working out and being active gave me peace. I wanted to be and look strong. To sculpt my body to lean and muscular. And it's not just for the summertime beach fling. It's so it can be long-lasting for the long run. When I get older, I don't want to have any health problems or look ten years older than my actual age. By the time I'm around 40 or 50, I would be looking like my mom, who doesn't look her age, or the flawless supermodel Naomi Campbell. Being active is great. You get so many benefits from it.

Sometimes I would go for a 4-mile walk with my mom to get fresh air and enjoy the scenery. When it comes to being active, anything works. Walking, dancing to music, boxing, running, lifting weights, there are so many options to choose from. The best thing about it, it's right at your fingertips with no payments needed. By the end of the workout, I feel accomplished and refreshed.

Even though I have been active physically during quarantine, I have also made sure to work my mind. What also helped me was that I am studying for the ASVAB to join the military. In the beginning, it wasn't easy. Just before graduating high school, I had no idea what I was going to do. I started with a part-time job to get me started. after a couple of months, I wanted to leave and do something more. I don't want to stay at a fast food place for the rest of my life. During this time, I thought about life and what I was going to do with it. I will be 20 in August. An official young adult. I had this conversation about life with my mom multiple times. I want to make the most of my life and work hard now, so once I'm 40, I can chill. I don't have to work hard on my job in the later years.

Finally, the last thing I've done to keep myself at peace is becoming a self-published author. I have written and published my first book that is a part of a series. All I'm waiting for is the release date and marketing of my book next month. I had fun going through the process since my mom and grandma helped me through it. Now that my first book is published, I decided to keep writing. I've done it since I was a kid and return to it years later. This quarantine was needed in the sense of self-reflection and time to be by yourself. Everyone needs time alone once in a while—the activities that I have done are my way of shredding through quarantine.