The Quarantine & What It Has Taught Me

These last few weeks of quarantine have been very challenging for all of us. I am pretty sure that when we rang in the year 2020, NO ONE would have expected the first couple of months to turn out like they did. The rapid spread of COVID-19 forced all of us to adjust to a completely different lifestyle from one day to the other. Social distancing has been hard for many. Missing birthdays, being laid off, having to work from home with the children there, and being scared to go to the supermarket are just a few of the many new challenges parents are facing. However, I have committed myself to stay positive during tough times since every cloud has a silver lining. As a matter of fact, there have been a few positive aspects of this quarantine that I would like to highlight and express my gratitude for.

1. Spending more time with my son

Since I have been working ever since my son was born, I have had working mom-guilt about not being able to be with my son all the time. Due to me having to work at home now and my son’s daycare closing, we are now together almost 24/7. I feel like now I can make up for all the time “lost” with him. Is it the most quality time I have with him now during the day? No. Is it stressful to have a toddler at home while working? Absolutely. But I still enjoy being able to be around him. Especially since time flies and he is growing up so fast.

2. Discovering the beauty of my neighborhood

One of my absolute highlights of the quarantine was that they opened up the golf courses in my neighborhood in Doral for walkers and bikers. Well, I am not actually sure if they officially opened them up but people started to use them for these leisure purposes. You would see entire families playing ball games together and hanging out on the lawn as if it was a beach. We dusted off our bikes and started taking bike rides as a family around the beautiful lakes and trees. The atmosphere in the afternoon is extremely zen and magical. We had never gone on a bike ride with our son before. Therefore, I am thankful that this new situation gave us the idea of doing this.

3. Being able to participate in more social activities virtually

I can’t even count how many times I have skipped events I had been looking forward to just because I did not feel like getting ready and doing the long drive after work. In the last few weeks of quarantine, I have been able to participate in Zoom workouts, religious services, and friend get-togethers. I may have skipped these if it would have involved changing and getting in your car after work. My toddler has even started doing virtual play dates with his same-aged nephew who lives overseas. Miami Moms Blog hosts regular virtual cafecito dates that are a great way to unwind for moms. You can find the times in their Facebook group and join the fun.

4. Not having to worry about superficial things and going back to natural

Sometimes I tend to stress myself out about where to fit in a nail or hair appointment. But not taking care of yourself is not an option either when you have to go to meetings and events! I feel very relieved about not having to spend money and time on these superficial things right now. Plus, it feels great to go back to natural and give my body a break from chemicals for a while. 

5. Saving money and eating more mindfully

In a way, this pandemic and quarantine have forced me to save money as I am obviously barely spending any money on gas. Also, I order out much less and cook a lot more than before. This has also led to me making healthier eating choices than I would normally do. A lot of people are probably going to fight me on this and claim that boredom and stress makes them snack a lot more #Quarantine15. Given that I usually pick whatever is fast and fairly-priced while I am at the office, I feel like I eat more mindfully now at home.

Clearly, I know that this crisis hit everyone differently and everyone deals with it in their own way. I don’t mean to downplay the severity of this situation. Trust me, I have had days where I have struggled tremendously with all the changes. By writing this article, I am hoping this can inspire someone who has been struggling to see the silver lining in the clouds. Think about something positive in your life. Do you get to spend more time with your children now? Are you and your family healthy? I am sure there is something to be grateful for. After all, we know that after rain comes sunshine and hopefully, this shall pass soon.