If you’re anything like me, quarantine and the rest of these Covid-19 restrictions have really hit you hard. Before quarantine, I felt like I had finally found my rhythm and in a really good place socially. I was seeing my friends both in and outside of school daily, I had babysitting money to spend, and I had finally gotten old enough to run plans by my parents instead of asking them. I was really living the life. But then, what felt like out of nowhere, everything changed. I was at school one day and stuck home the next with no one to see, no more money coming in, and no more plans. 

Being the social butterfly I am, I took it really hard when I went from being with people all the time to not getting to see anyone except my family. I spent a lot of time alone in my room, as I’m sure most other teenagers did, and I could feel that I was starting to lose myself and lose my motivation for things. Thankfully, though it felt like years, we were only really stuck home for two months, and were able to leave the house again relatively quickly. But now, we have to worry about quarantining due to exposure or actually having Covid-19, which can also take a major toll on friendships.

When you’re in high school, a private one at that, missing one day is like missing a week. So much happens in so little time, missing two weeks to sit at home can be totally detrimental to your friendships because when all of these things are going on, you aren’t there to be part of them. That’s why it’s so important to do everything that you can to feed your friendships in times like these. Of course, Facetime and various kinds of social media can be good ways of keeping in touch, but as friends and simply as human beings, we all have a job right now to spread love and positivity!

This past week, senior Sophie Sierveld and I started to really miss our good friend senior Maddy Krampe, who is home with Covid-19. We were talking about how we missed hanging out with her and having her at school, and by the end of the conversation, had decided to surprise her at her window and drop off a present at her front door that she could pick up after we walked away. Sophie said, “Quarantining is very difficult to navigate through alone. I knew that if I was locked in my room for two weeks like Maddy I would want a chance to see my friends any way that was possible.” It was something so simple, but it meant so much to me and both of my friends. We got to stand at Maddy’s window and talk for awhile, laughing and making jokes like there was no divide and she was standing right next to us! It was so refreshing getting to see her and be reminded that even when it feels impossible, there are always ways to show someone you love them. Maddy said, “It felt nice to know people were thinking of me and went so far as to surprise me outside my window.”

So, I encourage you, whether you have Covid-19, a common cold, or if you’re in perfect health, reach out! You will never regret making memories, even if it has to be through a window in your best friend’s creepy neighborhood, I promise. Use these times, not to slip away from one another, but to find new ways to grow with each other.