Like many other bored Americans over the past eight months, I found myself a so-called “quarantine project.” On a literal whim (this decision was made in a matter of two days), my family bought a vintage RV trailer so we could hit the road and travel without risking coming into contact with anyone and contracting COVID-19. After being in isolation for so long, this project sparked something exciting into my day to day. With my classes now online, heck, I could do my homework on the moon – as long as there’s a WiFi hotspot. 

One catch of buying a vintage trailer is the renovation process, which we were glad to undertake. I mean, what else were we doing? It took about three months and lots of painting, construction, upholstery sewing and interior design. Not only did we need to make it functional, it had to be cute, obviously. I was surprised we pulled it off, having zero prior renovation experience.

Last week, we made our first big trip to Big Sur, California, with a stop in Pismo Beach. Though we hit a few bumps in the road – one being a lizard finding its way into the car during my Zoom class (it’s a good thing I was on mute, because I was screaming a lot) – it was still a great time. Armed with my internet hotspot, I was able to work on homework and attend class while sitting at a campfire in the woods. Though I yearn for when we can safely attend in-person classes again, it was pretty cool that I could just go anywhere and school could go with me.

With so much of the year spent at home, I can’t think of a period in my life when I’ve spent this much time with my family with no other obligations of work or hanging out with friends. It’s so easy to let life get in the way and forget to create those special moments with people you love. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this. When disaster strikes, we cling to our support systems because they are the only thing that make life feel OK, even if only for a little while. And while I miss all of the things that have become obsolete this year, I want to cherish the good memories in these bad circumstances. 

In any other year in my life thus far, I would have been in school, unable to go anywhere. Now, I have the option of doing my assignments among the pine trees or writing my thesis on the beach. So even though this year has been catastrophic for so many reasons, this little slice of 2020 is something I can remember fondly.

I urge everyone to do the same. It’s so hard avoiding the plummet into the vast pit of the day to day, with so much uncertainty lying ahead. So it’s important to find something to cherish, whether it be physical or not. Maybe you perfected a recipe, called an old friend. or maybe you binge-watched your favorite TV show in record time. Find something that will make you feel just a little bit better about this year. Though we can’t change the chaos going on around us, we can alter our outlook. That might, at least temporarily, ease the sting of this year.