Friday, March 13th when school unexpectedly came to an awkward pause, I remember going to my last lacrosse practice saying to my teammates, “Bye guys, see you in a month.” Little did I know that this one month would turn into the rest of the year. The games we had practiced so hard for were cancelled and our highly anticipated Senior Night that celebrated the graduating players was moved online. 

Camo pants. Senior Spirit dance. Prom. Senior Night. To some, these may seem like silly and meaningless events, but these traditions unite and strengthen our Paly community. As a freshman, I looked forward to the day when I could enjoy these rites of passage. Now that the pandemic has put these traditions on hold, I have started to think about how maybe it’s time to start new traditions of our own. 

Over the course of living in quarantine, it’s easy to say that I have spent the majority of my time with my family and with that, new traditions have formed. Whether it was spontaneous midnight drives to take photos with my brother, coming together to work on a home project, or Friday game nights, these are new traditions that I have found brought our family closer together. 

For instance, my family went to Los Angeles for Labor Day weekend. My brother and I were planning to head to the nearby mountains for a night photoshoot, when we noticed an orange glow in the distance. Our curiosity got the better of us, and we moved closer eventually discovering that it was the El Dorado Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest. I had heard about it on the news, but seeing it with my own eyes sunk in how delicate and fragile our environment can be. 

Additionally, simply having more time to spend with family has brought us closer together. Especially with the sixteen year age difference between me and my newborn brother, this time allowed me to make cherishable memories with him and help my mom before I head off to college. If I was in school, I would have never gotten the opportunity to spend as much time with him as I have spent with him right now. For this, I am eternally grateful.

In addition to spending time with my family, I’ve gotten more time to myself. The past few months I have become more mentally prepared to start the next chapter of my life: college. Gathering my thoughts, I found what I truly want to do in college, which I think is a question that has been on most seniors’ minds. It’s a relief that from this conundrum, the cloud above my head is now cleared.

Being a senior, soon going away to college, I have found that quarantine was a blessing in disguise. It gave me the opportunity to enjoy time with my family before I truly become independent. Though I know that I have found some joy in quarantine, I also recognize the agony and loss families have endured losing loved ones during this pandemic. I for one understand this pain as a close family friend from my church lost their battle against COVID-19. 

It’s important to put words into action to invigorate one’s spirit during these unpredictable times. One way is by creating new traditions and strengthening relationships, which can help one not only survive, but thrive. 

We got spirit, yes we do. We got spirit, how about you?