Opinion | Quarantined on my birthday
The sweet sound of birds singing seeped through my bedroom window. Sunlight danced across my sleeping bag and I was greeted by the smell of sagebrush. Surrounded by red rock canyons, I bonded with new friends through our love for the environment. This was how my nineteenth birthday was supposed to go.
Instead there were dark clouds of rain outside my childhood bedroom window, screams from my neighbor’s pet parakeet and my 12 pound cat stepping on my face.
I was supposed to spend my birthday volunteering with the National Parks Service to restore the Grand Canyon with friends. In reality, I was confined to my 1,300-square-foot house with my mom, sister, two cats and pitbull due to the recommended precautions to stay home to curb the spread of COVID-19. But despite my birthday plans going awry, I wouldn’t have changed anything about it.
When I was young, I was obsessed with the idea of having the “perfect” birthday. Hours were spent redrawing birthday cards, making decorations, cleaning every corner of my house and hand picking the perfect snacks. Oh how 13-year-old me would have lost her mind at the circumstances of my birthday this year.
This year my birthday was nothing special and I absolutely loved it. My sister and I made chocolate banana pancakes for breakfast. I gardened in the backyard for three hours. My mom got take-out from my favorite Mexican restaurant and we watched “Married at First Sight” in our fuzzy pajamas. We made homemade chicken and waffles decorated with coconut flakes, raspberries and chocolate chips.
When we celebrate birthdays, we can become so enamored with how others might perceive extravagant plans that we forget what the day is truly about: celebrating and spending time with your loved ones. I don't remember the last time I soley spent my birthday with my family and I regret that. Although spending a week in the Grand Canyon would have been an amazing opportunity, so was bonding with my family over bad reality TV and chicken tacos.
Given the current circumstances, finding the silver lining in being stuck at home with your family can seem impossible to do. Trust me, I know. But it's there if you just search for it. Whether it’s binge watching reality TV shows, rediscovering your love for gardening or making new breakfast items, find the positives in being home. Afterall, it will only make the time go by faster.