A Blessing in Disguise

Photo taken in Sedona, AZ at Cathedral Rock during quarantine (June 2020).

Murmurings about this mysterious new virus had been drifting through the halls of Cathedral Catholic High School for weeks. While the administration remained optimistic that we would not be affected by the novel coronavirus, the students all knew it was just a matter of time until our community was affected. And soon enough that day arrived.

Fitting enough, on Friday the 13th of March, 2020, an email was sent out to students and their parents — Spring Break had been moved up due to increasing COVID-19 outbreaks around San Diego. The administration allowed a two week break for students and faculty.

Little did they know those two weeks would turn into a year and a half.

As a graduating senior, the onset of the pandemic was full of apprehension and stress. How would I submit my final grades? Would I even have final grades? Would this affect my college acceptances?

And then I realized that having free time was not so bad. I began to recognize the error in the thinking that had followed me all through my schooling — the thoughts of an anxious, overachieving brain.

This realization struck me and I decided to use my new found freedom to work on myself. I wanted to arrive in Westwood as the best version of myself.

Becoming the best version of myself

1. Make time for self care

What is “Self Care”? Somewhere in the abundance of Instagram posts and inspirational quotes the true meaning of this buzz term got lost. The theory behind it, however, sounded pretty nice. As such, I set out to discover what self care looked like for me.

I began leisure reading again. That seemed like a good place to start. Then, I decided to do some drawing. I went hiking here and there. I learned how to embroider. Went on some more hikes. I learned a new song on the piano. I curated my skin and hair care routines. I even made a few embarrassing TikToks.

As quarantine progressed, I began to realize that self care did not need to take the form of one particular activity. It was simply time allotted to spend with oneself to do something that makes you happy.

This brings me to my next point…

2. Don’t delay happiness. Choose happiness every day.

Throughout school, we are commonly encouraged to work hard to get into college to get into a good graduate school or to get hired at a prestigious company where we can be successful which will bring us happiness. These assembly lines ultimately teach us that happiness is something that can and should be delayed.

Quarantine led me to realize that the opposite is true. Happiness is something to be cherished and something you have to consciously choose everyday.

With the onset of the pandemic, and as many things were cancelled or closed, I realized how much I took for granted and how many moments I didn’t fully appreciate. As we start to ease back into normalcy, I want to bring renewed feelings of gratitude with me.

Happiness is not always the easy choice to make nor will it make sense to everyone. And that is okay.

What matters is not only that you take the time to be happy, but also that you take the time to enjoy and appreciate your happiness. Like self care, this happiness can take many different forms. Whether it’s spending time doing something you love, or spending time with people you love, it’s important to recognize and appreciate the best moments in life.

Which leads me into the next important lesson I learned…

3. Prioritizing important, healthy relationships.

As I worked to choose happiness, I realized there were many relationships in my life which were no longer bringing happiness or value to my life.

Furthermore, the pandemic made it difficult to safely see as many people, so I realized that I needed to prioritize those relationships which were most important, and also the most healthy. I began to spend more time with my family. Especially once I made my plans to move to Westwood in the Fall of 2020, I realized that my time at home with them was precious.

Next, I evaluated my friendships. I made an effort to prioritize the friends who prioritized me. I focused on the people who I felt were the most supportive of me and my dreams. I invested my energy where I felt it would be reciprocated.

While I certainly didn’t have as many friends as I did prior to the pandemic, I developed more meaningful, lasting relationships with people who truly cared about me.

Moving Forward

With these three things in mind, I moved to Westwood in Fall of 2020.

Here, I met my three roommates who are now my best friends. I have found a balance between school work, social time, and self care. And most importantly, I take time to enjoy the happiness I have chosen for myself everyday.

This journey has certainly not been easy — nor do I expect it to be moving forward — but I have come to realize that COVID-19 is not the complete disaster I had once thought it to be.

The pandemic gave me the time to reflect and grow as a person which makes it a blessing in disguise.

Photo taken at UCLA in March 2020. I accepted my admission offer a few days later.