Cause of today’s anxiety: ^^
The past month has been a strange time, stirring emotions I thought I’d only ever experience with books or movies. I’ve read about the apocalypse in Maximum Ride, I’ve watched the zombies take over in Train to Busan. And yeah, back in 2011, I sat in total awe as I watched Contagion at the theater. Now, here we are in 2020, going through a real life pandemic.
Of course, being in 2020, we deal with a worldwide disaster with memes and “What to do when you’re bored” YouTube videos. Being quarantined at home, with nothing but the internet (or your dog) to turn to, I guess that’s all we can really do, is laugh. Laugh so we don’t have to cry or panic. While these memes have been getting a lot of chuckles out of me, they haven’t shut out my anxious thoughts.
For one, my parents are both around 60 years old. My dad has diabetes and heart problems. My mom works as a phlebotomist at the local hospital (where there are currently about twenty COVID-19 cases). I don’t have any health problems myself, but I do have allergies that I’m constantly questioning. Are these really allergies? Or are they symptoms? Do I have to read the CDC website for the hundredth time?
I want to tell myself I’m overthinking, but I know that, for once in my life, I’m not. We’re not as serious as the outbreak in Contagion, but we are serious. We have to be as careful as possible, no matter how inconvenient it may seem. The virus has taken many things away from me — face-to-face classes, a face-to-face thesis defense, graduation, freaking sanity — but I want to do my part in flattening the curve.
To those who have no choice but to be out there, whether in hospitals or grocery stores, you’re my heroes. Go on and join the Avengers, you awesome human beings. To those who scoff at the order of social distancing, who are carelessly partying and putting others at risk… Shame on you. Thanks for giving me and millions of other people more anxiety than we already had.
It’s events like these that truly bring out the worst in people, but I do believe that they also bring out the best. I can only hope that we stick together as a society and reach that light at the end of the tunnel. By that time, I’m sure plenty of people will be writing books and screenplays based on this crazy, crazy situation. Contagion 2: The Real Life Story — I’ll be waiting for ya. Until then, I’ll be watching Tiger King because the memes told me to.
Sara Bechtol 