Well, here we are. It has been almost a year since the news of the pandemic hit. I can’t believe we have adapted to this new normal. It’s weird to think how online classes, ordering groceries online, and not seeing your friends feels normal. Don’t worry, I said normal, not good. I miss doing things that seemed so trivial pre-pandemic and I’m sure you do too.

I miss going to the movies, feeling the energetic shift in the room as the movie begins until when it ends. Sometimes I would laugh harder at a small joke, simply because other people were. I miss going out to eat and sharing laughs and food with people I love while losing track of time over bottomless mimosas. I miss going to the Art Institute, with the peaceful, yet powerful quiet. There’s something that hits different about that silence. I miss going to parties with strangers, having revealing deep conversations with people I’ll never speak to again as we share the puff of a cigarette. I miss walking down the street when I’m in a good mood with a smile on my face and being able to see another person smile back at me. It made me feel more connected to the world.

Despite all of these things, the pandemic has taught me balance. It’s taught me the balance that I need between caring for me and spending time with others. It’s taught me to see both the value and necessity of being alone and of the connection that comes from spending time with others, even if it’s just merely the presence of others. Caring for ourselves and respecting that time to ourselves allows us to honor and truly live in the moment when we’re with others. It makes it better.

I’m sure this year has taught us a lot in our own personal ways. I’m sure all of us have a bucket list of big or small things we want to do as soon as we get the chance at the end of this. I know I do. Below is a list of the few things I know I want to do post-pandemic.

• See and hug my family
• Go to the Art Institute
• Go to the movies
• Go to a brunch with my friends
• Go to a party where I don’t know everyone
• Travel, even if it’s close by
• Go to the beach and really listen to the ocean
• Go to class IN PERSON and live in the moment
• Sit at a coffee shop with a croissant and matcha on a sunny day
• Go shopping

What are your post-pandemic plans? What has the pandemic taught you?