Within the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals have found themselves seeking new entertainment outlets to fill the excessive amounts of time caused by new social distancing guidelines. In the first few months of the stay-at-home order, I felt relatively distressed with being stuck inside my house. Activities that I had once enjoyed became a health hazard that could endanger my friends and family. Though I am a hermit, the idea of being forced to stay home was not enjoyable to me. However, with this new abundance of extra time on my hands, I have discovered many different abilities I had no idea I had.
While reading one of the books that had been collecting dust on my bookshelf, I grew interested in the wondrous world of guitar. As someone who had considered themselves to be a singer and nothing more, I decided to use this time to venture into an outlet I have not yet explored. My grandfather was a genius guitar player, so I thought it would be appropriate for me to give it a shot. I purchased my first guitar, a relatively cheap electric guitar, in June of 2020, and within a matter of months, I was able to teach myself basic strumming patterns and many of my favorite songs that I have performed. Though some have found the Covid-19 pandemic to hinder one’s everyday life, I have taken this time to express myself in a way I had not initially thought possible.
This pandemic allowed me to strengthen my musical abilities; it has also allowed me to gain a newfound sense of independence. When the pandemic had first begun affecting my community and myself, I was a junior in high school who had relied on my parents for many things, such as making phone calls on my behalf and even helping me manage my time. With my parents becoming more stressed with worries of Covid-19, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and start doing these things for myself since the world was moving at a slower pace than usual. I first started my journey to independence by finally calling DMV to take my driver’s permit test. Since school had gone online and I was using my computer more often, I decided to start using my online calendar and many different alarms to spend my time better. By doing these simple things, I was even able to raise my work ethic in the process.
Though things have been tough for myself and my family during this time, there are also so many good things that have come out of this pandemic. It can become easy to lose motivation, but there are so many unique opportunities that have appeared. Painting pictures, journal writing, and going walking are activities that have become more accessible. Without this pandemic, I would not have been able to take the time to teach myself the guitar and step out of my comfort zone in a world on pause.