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The summer of 2020 is history in the making.
Concerns about the ongoing public health crisis, a new wave of social justice, and just plain effects on everyday lives of people across the world. Conversation Starters this month features a collection of writings from teens, a parent, a youth agency director, and relevant graphics responsive to current events
Spend most of my time in my room playing video games
The summer of 2020 has been quite uneventful indeed. I seem to have the same routine every day. I spend most of my time playing video games or watching Netflix. I generally wake up around 12-1 pm, eat food, play video games until 5-6 pm, eat food again, then play video games or watch Netflix until 2-3 am. I’ve also been coding/programming (primarily within the realms of web development) during the times when I’m exhausted from playing video games. Occasionally, I go out for runs but for the most part I just sit in my room. Every now and then I try to partake in some sort of physical activity. Basically, I do whatever I can to pass the time. Having to quarantine due to COVID-19, I’d say has made me a lot more introverted, though I’ve always been this way.
I planned to have an eventful summer, seeing as it was the summer after my graduation. I had planned to have a great graduation, visit my relatives, go to Disney World for the first time, and even go on a trip abroad with a good friend of mine. Of course, everything was cancelled in the end. I’m definitely not happy about having to change my plans, but considering the situation we’re all in, it’s not that big of a deal for me.
I’m not as afraid of going out as a couple months ago. Luckily, there aren’t many cases where I live, but I’m still staying at home as much as possible. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I wear a mask in public, in order to protect myself and others as much as possible. In the end, I’ve never experienced anything like this pandemic before, so I’m just trying to get through it as best as possible.
I planned to have an eventful summer, seeing as it was the summer after my graduation. I had planned to have a great graduation, visit my relatives, go to Disney World for the first time, and even go on a trip abroad with a good friend of mine. Of course, everything was cancelled in the end. I’m definitely not happy about having to change my plans, but considering the situation we’re all in, it’s not that big of a deal for me.
I’m not as afraid of going out as a couple months ago. Luckily, there aren’t many cases where I live, but I’m still staying at home as much as possible. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I wear a mask in public, in order to protect myself and others as much as possible. In the end, I’ve never experienced anything like this pandemic before, so I’m just trying to get through it as best as possible.
About racism
Is this picture a good one to initiate a conversation about racism?
Why or why not?
Why or why not?
Changing behavior
I was asked about how COVID-19 has changed my behavior. I think that I am just as afraid of it now as I was a few months ago. The fear was/is not about myself, but about my parents. I believed and believe that I will likely be fine if I get it, but I cannot say the same for my parents. I still wear masks whenever I go to a public space. In fact, I tried to wear a mask while running once and I would’ve kept doing that, bar the issue of me not being able to breathe.
One other thing that I’ve noticed is that since I spend 95% of my time in my room, I’ve found that it is easier to lose sense of time. I can keep my room artificially lit or artificially dark whenever I want and this really screws up my brain sometimes. I’ll be staring at a brightly lit screen at 1 in the morning and have this sense that it is still bright outside until I open my window and find that it is pitch black outside. It’s not a healthy lifestyle that I’m currently living. I don’t know whether I can attribute this to COVID or not. But one argument in favor of COVID contributing to this issue is that without COVID, I would be spending much more time outside with friends and family, pushing me to be outside more and not become a hermit in my room all day and night.
One other thing that I’ve noticed is that since I spend 95% of my time in my room, I’ve found that it is easier to lose sense of time. I can keep my room artificially lit or artificially dark whenever I want and this really screws up my brain sometimes. I’ll be staring at a brightly lit screen at 1 in the morning and have this sense that it is still bright outside until I open my window and find that it is pitch black outside. It’s not a healthy lifestyle that I’m currently living. I don’t know whether I can attribute this to COVID or not. But one argument in favor of COVID contributing to this issue is that without COVID, I would be spending much more time outside with friends and family, pushing me to be outside more and not become a hermit in my room all day and night.
What in the world is going on?
Eating junk food
I was asked about what plans I had for summer and how I feel about having to change them. I had planned out my summer quite cleanly prior to COVID-19: I was going to become an EMT, work out daily, eat healthily, read one book a week, code and do a lot of projects, and spend a lot of time with my friends before we all left for college.
I have not met up with any friends since the shutdown of school, I only go to grocery stores when I need to and generally prioritize buying in bulk and buying items that will sustain me for a long amount of time to reduce the frequency of grocery runs. An unfortunate side-effect of this has been that I’m eating a lot of processed and frozen foods as well as the classic junk foods (chips, cookies, etc.).
I have not met up with any friends since the shutdown of school, I only go to grocery stores when I need to and generally prioritize buying in bulk and buying items that will sustain me for a long amount of time to reduce the frequency of grocery runs. An unfortunate side-effect of this has been that I’m eating a lot of processed and frozen foods as well as the classic junk foods (chips, cookies, etc.).
Activism
If young people in the world want change, they will not stop to try to get it.
Activism has always been something that is very important to me, whether it’s being involved in/supporting movements for people of color, the environment, women or the LGBTQ community. When we first got into quarantine I was a little discouraged because there was so much going on and I thought that my friends and I wouldn’t be able to help with these movements, because we couldn’t attend protests or get involved through school. However, being in quarantine has helped me to figure out how to do the most I can to help. Whenever I was bored, which has lately been a lot, I tried to look up ways that I could help out, and it turns out there are so many more resources now.
More people across the globe can become part of different movements, regardless of where they live or who they are. Now, you can do things like attend Zoom calls with people around the world to discuss how to combat climate change, or call senators to demand justice for people of color; there are so many opportunities for so many people to explore, that if we weren’t in quarantine, most people wouldn’t think to look into. I always feel inspired when I do things like this, because the majority of the time when I am on a Zoom call, it is mostly kids and teens that are my age who are using their time and resources to do things like this. It makes you realize that being part of a movement means sticking with it even in times like these, and trying to keep it progressing. There are more people than you think who want to be part of these movements. So many movements I have joined have already made so much progress, which shows that if the young people in the world want change, they will not stop to try to get it.
Activism has always been something that is very important to me, whether it’s being involved in/supporting movements for people of color, the environment, women or the LGBTQ community. When we first got into quarantine I was a little discouraged because there was so much going on and I thought that my friends and I wouldn’t be able to help with these movements, because we couldn’t attend protests or get involved through school. However, being in quarantine has helped me to figure out how to do the most I can to help. Whenever I was bored, which has lately been a lot, I tried to look up ways that I could help out, and it turns out there are so many more resources now.
More people across the globe can become part of different movements, regardless of where they live or who they are. Now, you can do things like attend Zoom calls with people around the world to discuss how to combat climate change, or call senators to demand justice for people of color; there are so many opportunities for so many people to explore, that if we weren’t in quarantine, most people wouldn’t think to look into. I always feel inspired when I do things like this, because the majority of the time when I am on a Zoom call, it is mostly kids and teens that are my age who are using their time and resources to do things like this. It makes you realize that being part of a movement means sticking with it even in times like these, and trying to keep it progressing. There are more people than you think who want to be part of these movements. So many movements I have joined have already made so much progress, which shows that if the young people in the world want change, they will not stop to try to get it.
William Barnard
Wow, talk about a year. 2020 has been nothing short of unconventional. This time period in your life will shift the world forever. So what are you going to do? Complain about breaking the normal? Quit? Class of 2020 it’s perfectly ok to be fearful. Without fear, we can't have courage. This is your moment to be brave and courageous.
Allow me to share with you the story of the rabbit and the carrot. See, the rabbit had this crazy dream of chasing the big carrot. He wanted to achieve something in life, have a sense of purpose - his “carrot,” He shot through the field, full of life and energy until he stumbled across some hunters. His journey was halted, but soon he was back on the road again. He started to regain confidence and speed and was gliding across the grass, when suddenly there is a shot. He goes down, hurt, physically and mentally, but OK. He pulls himself up, and even though achieving his carrot seems impossible, he’s determined. He saw the entrance to a rabbit hole he built. and shot down it with newfound energy. He waited patiently, strategically planning his escape......NOW! The rabbit shot out the ground like a cannon ball and ran through the field. The hunters never had a chance. Blowing like the wind, the rabbit finally reached his carrot.
Looking back, he realized his journey was extremely unconventional, unorthodox, may have taken longer than expected, and definitely had some hiccups along the way, but he made it. He survived and he accomplished his goal.
Class of 2020, be like the rabbit and go get your carrot.
William Barnard
Executive Director
Glencoe Youth Services
glencoeyouthservices.org
Allow me to share with you the story of the rabbit and the carrot. See, the rabbit had this crazy dream of chasing the big carrot. He wanted to achieve something in life, have a sense of purpose - his “carrot,” He shot through the field, full of life and energy until he stumbled across some hunters. His journey was halted, but soon he was back on the road again. He started to regain confidence and speed and was gliding across the grass, when suddenly there is a shot. He goes down, hurt, physically and mentally, but OK. He pulls himself up, and even though achieving his carrot seems impossible, he’s determined. He saw the entrance to a rabbit hole he built. and shot down it with newfound energy. He waited patiently, strategically planning his escape......NOW! The rabbit shot out the ground like a cannon ball and ran through the field. The hunters never had a chance. Blowing like the wind, the rabbit finally reached his carrot.
Looking back, he realized his journey was extremely unconventional, unorthodox, may have taken longer than expected, and definitely had some hiccups along the way, but he made it. He survived and he accomplished his goal.
Class of 2020, be like the rabbit and go get your carrot.
William Barnard
Executive Director
Glencoe Youth Services
glencoeyouthservices.org
Grateful
The summer of 2020 has barely begun and I feel as if it has been going on forever. It is not even watermelon season yet. My family and I are so lucky in that we are well and safe. But there have been many changes for me.
1. More gratitude
I never kept a formal tangible gratitude journal, but have always been aware of how grateful I am for good health and a wonderful family, but now? Now I don’t need a notebook to write about it. Now I look at their faces, one at the kitchen table, the others on a Zoom call, and am almost brought to tears of gratitude every day.
2. More generosity
I had taken for granted the fact the I was one of the lucky ones, that my family and I didn’t need to worry about where our next meal was coming from. But I have never been more aware of this than now. Seeing rows s of cars, cars that could be mine, lining up for bags & boxes at food banks, has touched my heart more than I can say. I used to write a check to the Fook Depository every year at Christmas time, but I am now writing more checks and being a lot more generous to a lot more places than I ever did before.
3. Different perspective
Food: I am truly aware of how lucky I am to have it. I have always been a bit of a foodie. I loved to buy it and cook it and even decorate with fruit and vegetables in baskets in my kitchen. I’m the sort of mom who used to read cookbooks for fun and cut recipes out of magazines, but as the years went by, I found myself cooking less and going out to dinner more.
Now, I am back to cooking. The shopping experience has changed and Instacart is not the real thing, but lately I have become aware of how much I used to love cooking. There is something about the smells of onions and garlic and creating a simple dinner that warms my heart. I am doing this again. And a subtle, but important, point that I find extremely relaxing is that if the meal isn’t perfect, it is ok. I’m not cooking for company; it’s just for us.
Interesting, isn’t it, that we fuss more for people we don’t love than the people we do. I had never really thought about that before. A new perspective & It feels good.
I am so lucky to be able to be home and not in a hospital. But I never before woke up thinking about the fact that I was in my own bed in my own house. We have always been lucky to have a home, but I had not given this so much thought before the pandemic. Now I think about it every day. Every time I read the paper. Every time I hear the news on TV. Every time I speak to my friend who couldn’t visit her father as he lay dying.
Also, I find that, even with (or maybe because of) this staying at home, I am enjoying my house more than I ever did before. it looks and feels more relaxed than it used to. Instead of a centerpiece on the dining room table, now there are craft projects and a laptop. And, like everyone else, I am wearing my most comfortable clothes these days. Why not? Where am a going? I find that the more relaxed my clothes are, the more relaxed I feel. And it feels good. It feels more real.
4. Learning
Uncluttering and focusing on what is really important. My life has gotten quieter. I was always so busy. Something I had to do. Somewhere I had to go. No more. Now I go for a walk in the morning after breakfast. Now I putter in my garden just because I love doing that. The garden looks better, and I feel better than in summers before. I am reading more and writing a little and never thought I would find myself not feeing guilty for curling up on my couch and watching a movie in the middle of the day.
And my house. In that I am not so busy going and doing, I find myself straightening out closets and drawers and filing cabinets that I was going to get to “one of these days.” I am not a Marie Kondo and my neater closets have not changed my life, but… it does feel better. I have more things that I will give to Goodwill and I have more space. My junk drawer is not so full of junk. I have used up, or given away, or tossed things in my kitchen that I should have done years ago. I have found new meaning in an old phrase I learned from a very wise person many years ago. “A little bit of good is better than a whole lot of not so great.”
This is true for people also. Those friends who call or text to check in are the real ones.
I am learning to treasure the keepers and not dilute my closet or my time with as much “filler” as I had before.
5. Awareness
I have a greater realization of how very lucky I am.
1. More gratitude
I never kept a formal tangible gratitude journal, but have always been aware of how grateful I am for good health and a wonderful family, but now? Now I don’t need a notebook to write about it. Now I look at their faces, one at the kitchen table, the others on a Zoom call, and am almost brought to tears of gratitude every day.
2. More generosity
I had taken for granted the fact the I was one of the lucky ones, that my family and I didn’t need to worry about where our next meal was coming from. But I have never been more aware of this than now. Seeing rows s of cars, cars that could be mine, lining up for bags & boxes at food banks, has touched my heart more than I can say. I used to write a check to the Fook Depository every year at Christmas time, but I am now writing more checks and being a lot more generous to a lot more places than I ever did before.
3. Different perspective
Food: I am truly aware of how lucky I am to have it. I have always been a bit of a foodie. I loved to buy it and cook it and even decorate with fruit and vegetables in baskets in my kitchen. I’m the sort of mom who used to read cookbooks for fun and cut recipes out of magazines, but as the years went by, I found myself cooking less and going out to dinner more.
Now, I am back to cooking. The shopping experience has changed and Instacart is not the real thing, but lately I have become aware of how much I used to love cooking. There is something about the smells of onions and garlic and creating a simple dinner that warms my heart. I am doing this again. And a subtle, but important, point that I find extremely relaxing is that if the meal isn’t perfect, it is ok. I’m not cooking for company; it’s just for us.
Interesting, isn’t it, that we fuss more for people we don’t love than the people we do. I had never really thought about that before. A new perspective & It feels good.
I am so lucky to be able to be home and not in a hospital. But I never before woke up thinking about the fact that I was in my own bed in my own house. We have always been lucky to have a home, but I had not given this so much thought before the pandemic. Now I think about it every day. Every time I read the paper. Every time I hear the news on TV. Every time I speak to my friend who couldn’t visit her father as he lay dying.
Also, I find that, even with (or maybe because of) this staying at home, I am enjoying my house more than I ever did before. it looks and feels more relaxed than it used to. Instead of a centerpiece on the dining room table, now there are craft projects and a laptop. And, like everyone else, I am wearing my most comfortable clothes these days. Why not? Where am a going? I find that the more relaxed my clothes are, the more relaxed I feel. And it feels good. It feels more real.
4. Learning
Uncluttering and focusing on what is really important. My life has gotten quieter. I was always so busy. Something I had to do. Somewhere I had to go. No more. Now I go for a walk in the morning after breakfast. Now I putter in my garden just because I love doing that. The garden looks better, and I feel better than in summers before. I am reading more and writing a little and never thought I would find myself not feeing guilty for curling up on my couch and watching a movie in the middle of the day.
And my house. In that I am not so busy going and doing, I find myself straightening out closets and drawers and filing cabinets that I was going to get to “one of these days.” I am not a Marie Kondo and my neater closets have not changed my life, but… it does feel better. I have more things that I will give to Goodwill and I have more space. My junk drawer is not so full of junk. I have used up, or given away, or tossed things in my kitchen that I should have done years ago. I have found new meaning in an old phrase I learned from a very wise person many years ago. “A little bit of good is better than a whole lot of not so great.”
This is true for people also. Those friends who call or text to check in are the real ones.
I am learning to treasure the keepers and not dilute my closet or my time with as much “filler” as I had before.
5. Awareness
I have a greater realization of how very lucky I am.
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