Vaccinations are being passed out. The world is opening back up. So what now? What will the world look like? Will we have a new normal? These are probably the questions everyone is asking themselves. I wish I had the answers or the words to provide you all with some sort of comfort. Just like you, I am worried about what is to come. But I am also very excited. We have been on lockdown for a year. When quarantine tarted, I firmly remember thinking to myself, “This better be over by the summer.” I have to laugh at that. I think the biggest question to consider is what will you do?

Before indulging in whatever kind of new world is created post-pandemic, ask yourself what you want. Reflect on what you did during your time in quarantine, but don’t let it consume you. Whether you were that person who started a new regimen, worked out every day, got into self-care, and became more productive. Or if you are that person who stayed home, worried about the world, and did not make any major life changes. There was no proper way to deal with a global pandemic. We had a year to stay home; what do you want now that we are going to be able to go outside? 

I was an extreme homebody before the pandemic. I go out every now and then, but there was nothing more I wanted than to be home. I did not care for traveling or having new experiences. It just simply was not for me. Being forced to stay home and barely have contact with the people I cared about showed me how much I needed to see and do. I want to see more of the world. I want to have basic conversations with random people I meet in the world and will most likely never see again. I want to step foot on new streets, beaches, roads and grassy fields. I want to experience life to the fullest. In quarantine, I have loved, hurt, laughed, cried, hoped, feared. All in my home. I want to see more. I want to see all of the world I can see before it is my time. That is what quarantine taught me. What has quarantine taught you, if anything?

I try to be an optimistic person (even though the real world makes that very hard to do). I am trying to view these next steps as a second chance for me. We have all lost so much in this time that can never be replaced. What are you going to do with your existence now when we have more freedom? What do you want to see out of the world, and what can you do to make it happen? Additionally, you don’t have to have any answers to these questions. You do not have to even want to do anything. You could just be happy with the fact that the world is (hopefully safely) opening back up. I just want to let people who need hope in order to continue going on feel seen. The future finally seems bright after a year of darkness, fear, and uncertainty. It’s fine to celebrate.