Randomly Writing

Quarantine Corner Entry

This is an entry for "Invalid Item"  with the prompt about what 2020 has meant to me.


Honestly, 2020 hasn't been nearly as hard on me as it has been for many others. I feel like a lot of people use it as an excuse for why people are acting rude or mean or they use it as an excuse for why things aren't getting done. I just started graduate school and my professors regularly blame things on quarantine or COVID-19 that don't seem legitimate to me. I can't say I've never used it as an excuse, but when I did, I admit, it was almost never legitimate. I told my last apartments that I couldn't vacate on time because of COVID. Real reason? I was lazy and disorganized and I grossly underestimated how long it would take me to pack. Are things trickier or less convenient? Sure? But I've lived in Nigeria and Korea and Iraq, so trickier and less convenient isn't really new for me. Are they apocalyptic like so many people seem to think? Probably not.

Now, I admit that for some people, COVID has been horrific, losing jobs and homes and such, but for me and people I know, it hasn't. I find more stress in the blaming of it for everything than in the actual situation. Though for some people, like my cousin, blaming it has become a bit of a joke. That's more acceptable to me because I do think it's a bit of a joke how everything is blamed on COVID.

I've had some frustrations, I admit. Places running out of things wasn't ideal, but it didn't greatly impact me. I just found a replacement item or dealt without it. I'm trying to change my residency and am not supposed to be traveling so that's inconvenient, but whatever. I'm sure I'll be able to figure things out.

In some ways, COVID has been really handy. At first I was worried about Zoom classes, but I find they have really saved me a lot of time because I don't have to go to my car, drive to class, find a space, walk to the building, and do all that in reverse at the end. It saves me about an hour and a half per day or per class on the days with a lot of space between classes. Plus, with my forgetfulness and disorganization, there have been times of "Oh crap! I have class in 3 minutes!" No worries. Just open the computer and log in. Without COVID, I'd be screwed. lol

And there have been good things to come from COVID, besides just Zoom classes, which aren't the same as real classes, but they do have their advantages. I've cooked more during COVID-19 than I probably have the entire last decade of my life. I mean cooked like chopping foods and putting them in a pan. Normally, I define cooking as applying heat to food like a microwave dinner and when I'm really lazy, it just means getting something to eat that requires more than just grab and go so cereal is often considered cooking to me. And along those lines, I sell Pampered Chef cooking products https://www.PamperedChef.com/pws/HostWithJody at Facebook parties and business has been booming. I made more this year than the previous 2 years combined. Every month people were breaking sales records--$50k, $60k, by one person in one month selling through Facebook parties! I broke my own personal sales records as well, though they were nothing compared to the national sales records. lol

Sure, there have been changes and inconveniences, but all in all, COVID-19 hasn't really negatively impacted me that badly. It also showed me how people would react in the closest thing I hope I ever come to an apocalypse. I admit, I didn't expect so many people to refuse to comply with government orders or to say it's all fake or that it's being blown way out of proportion. I also didn't expect (but probably should have) such different responses among state governments. Interesting fodder for future stories. So, there you have it. The year 2020 and COVID-19 are just another writing prompt for me.