Once upon a time, there was a student sitting on a comfortable chair at a beach club, sipping her raspberry-mojito while enjoying the sun. Her friends had just ordered some fried snacks because they had gotten quite hungry. The girls were really talking about nothing, but they felt worry-less and happy. The sun on their skin, their new sundresses on and most importantly, eating cheese sticks. After Instagramming their food and drinks, they took some more pictures under the beautiful summer sky. Their captions revealed just how precious this summer was. Does this sound good? Of course, it does! Do we miss this? Definitely…
But, is there something to miss? The seasons have just changed into spring, and we are still finishing up our academic years. Nevertheless, the anecdote still seems so realistic at the moment! Why did this happen? When did we start to feel like victims of a pandemic nobody can help? To be entirely honest, I am writing this and I am so blue! The beach clubs seem so far away, like something that happened a lifetime ago! The truth is, it was just last summer and it will soon be possible again! Let’s all agree to remain positive, and to do everything we can to beat the virus!
We must realize that there is a chance our summer will look different from what we would like. No crowded shopping streets and maybe no long summer vacations to exotic islands. I know that this sounds horrible, but just put it into perspective. And no, I am not saying you are exaggerating because other people have it worse. You are allowed to feel blue and to be disappointed! Many people are missing milestones because of quarantine, or feel literally trapped in isolation. Just try to realize that one season of fun and sun, is not equal to the health of the people you love. You will be able to catch up with everything you are missing now. You are not even missing out (#nofomo), because everyone is unable to travel or go outside, for that matter!
So, how can we make sure that our blue feelings become bright and yellow again? Don’t stop planning trips and days away. Maybe don’t be too focused on a specific date or time, but come up with ideas that you would like to do, and places that you would like to visit. You will always have something to look forward to. Stay in contact with your friends through Whatsapp, Skype, Houseparty and so on, and plan fun things with them as well! I dare promise you, they all feel the same way that you do, so come virtually together and talk! Talk about places you will definitely visit when you can, talk about new recipes you are absolutely trying out together and talk about experiences you are surely going to gain!
Walt Disney, the sponsor of many of our leisure activities (thank you, Disney+), once said: “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” And I believe that too. Even if our dreams seem small – a nice cocktail and some fried cheese – we need to stay encouraged to pursue them. Let’s stay positive and soon we will be able to do everything, just the way it was before!
Author: Renée Mötter
Editor: Kat Nivera
Featured Image: Koh Tao Pub Crawl | Thailand