Life has been hectic in 2021, but never more so than during the few holidays we’ve had so far. From a New Year’s Day filled with just as much anxiety as there was hope to Easter where many people were still unable to attend their church services in person.
Holidays have been bringing mixed feelings for me so far. Generally seen as a time to relax, do a bit of self-care and spend the occasion with family or friends, I’ve noticed many students spent their holidays bunked up in their dorms catching up on homework.
If students weren’t in their dorms, they may have been like me and tried to visit home while getting their work done haphazardly as well. C’s get degrees, right? Others may have just said “screw it” and take the time to themselves without acknowledging they even had homework.
And to the poor souls who had to work over the holidays to make ends meet, how I wish you had only homework to worry about at the end of the day.
However students spent their holidays, I’m willing to bet not a lot of them got to spend them in the ways they normally do. Take Easter for example. Many people canceled their usual family gatherings to make sure everyone remained safe from the virus or were told their Easter Sunday services would be online instead of in person.
What’s the point of dressing in your Sunday best if you’re just putting it on for a Zoom call or trapping yourself in your dorm so you can finally get to the top of the mountain of homework? There isn’t one.
But despite the unusual pandemic holiday routines we all have, this year can be thought of as a test of fortitude. And we are winning, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
The pandemic has beaten everyone down and with this spring comes the hope of going back to normal. Summer won’t save us from COVID-19 like it can with the common cold or the flu, but it can provide a much-needed break.
With only about four more weeks left in the semester, we are so close to the end it makes me wish time would go by faster. I’m ready for people to be able to enjoy their holidays and break without having a nagging reminder of school in the back of their minds.
But before we can do that, we have to make it to the end of this marathon of a semester, reaching the finish line in whatever way we can. Spring has sprung and the end of the semester is right around the corner.
If you spent your holidays cooped up in a dorm or juggling family and homework, I encourage you to take some time for yourself, even if it’s only 20 minutes. A mini holiday, if you will. Treat yourself to your favorite drink, sit down in the sun and just relax like you’re at the beach.
Even if your Easter weekend didn’t turn out like you had hoped, with colorful egg hunts and quality family time, it’s much easier to make the next half-hour turn out just right. Take that break and take care of yourself. You deserve a little “holiday” self-care.
Anteia McCollum can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @antxiam5