Some of us are starting to venture out into the world, while others are still under strict lockdown until June or even July. All of us are probably feeling very tired of the whole pandemic. But here’s how PD editors are finding a silver lining during COVID-19. It looks like we didn’t lose 9 weeks of our lives—perhaps we can say we even gained them.
Quarantine makeover
“My silver lining was that after I buzzed my head I started playing around with different make up colors and being more creative/extreme to test what works well with the new cut. That was such a fun thing to do!”
—Rebecca Willems, Contributor
Home sweet home
“Moving to a new apartment during COVID-19 didn’t seem fortuitous at first, but I’ve been thrilled by the opportunity to create a new sanctuary for myself. Since I’ll be spending more time indoors, I wanted to spruce up the new place with fresh paint, calming decorations, and up-cycled secondhand materials. Moving has also given me the opportunity to declutter and donate the items I don’t use anymore. I’m cleaning house and creating a home!”
—Lindsay Brave, Contributor
Healing time
“For me, the lockdown has been a tough love kind of teacher—challenging my perceptions and limiting beliefs, and giving me a wealth of gifts I hadn’t even imagined! To name a few:
Time for introspection, learning, meditating and healing. When those strong emotions and unresolved stuff I’ve ignored have started coming up, I’ve had the time, space and quiet to finally process them, and learn to accept myself a bit more.
Mother Earth and nature having some breathing space, and the stillness and quiet that’s brought. I’ve also started growing veggies and flowers in my yard (originally for self-sufficiency reasons, but gardening is its own kind of reward).
I really think that what we’ve gained has been important—it’s an opportunity for all of us to re-evaluate the world and reality, and start to listen to our own internal voice—to focus on what’s around us here and now, instead of the stream of noise and external opinions we used to get bombarded with.”
—Ema Melanaphy, Contributor
A financial jumpstart
“I’ve been lucky enough to have plenty of steady freelance work for the past few months, and since I’ve really only been spending money on rent, bills, and groceries, I’ve been brushing up on my personal finance knowledge. I’ve increased my savings rate, contributed to my emergency fund, opened my first retirement savings account, and donated to organizations in my city that are helping those affected by the pandemic. By the end of this year, I want to start saving for a down payment on a future house!”
—Jane Harkness, Contributing Editor
Getting together with the gang on a new app
“One of the best things to come out of staying at home has been connecting with my friend group in new ways. Under normal conditions, we keep in touch through a group chat and occasional visits, but now, we primarily use the Marco Polo app to have conversations at a pace that works for everyone (and that’s less energetically draining than synchronous platforms like Zoom). For the three of us, it’s been a huge source of stress relief, fun, connection, and sanity. This could also be accomplished by sending short videos through texts—the subject of your convo isn’t terribly important; the idea is to share yourself—your voice, your facial expressions, your love.”
—Mary Hood Luttrell, Creative Director
The things that really matter
“This strange new quarantine ‘season’ has brought a lot with it. A loss of my day job, inability to see my family and a general sense of my world turned upside down. However, this season also came at the same time as the warm weather here in Colorado. There are so many things I am thankful for during these strange times; my partner, video calls with friends, my dogs and cat, and more time for my art. But being able to spend most of my time outside, rather than stuck in a stuffy office, watching as the leaves turn green and flowers make their way up from under the soil, has genuinely been the source of peace and joy for me during these turbulent times.”
—Iga Kazmierczak, Contributor
Learning a new instrument
“I started learning guitar. I played and sung songs and recorded them to see how I was progressing. To be honest, I’m not very good (yet!), but it really gave me a feeling of accomplishment to see how I’ve advanced. Feeling success and confidence is detrimental in times like these, because it’s so easy to get in a non-motivated rut. But something as simple as learning a new skill helped to pull me out of that!”
—Nea Pantry, Contributor
Mastering that foreign language
“Now that classes are over, I’m putting serious effort into improving my Spanish, ready for when I can *finally* head to the beach once the Mexican border opens! Alongside that, I’m mostly swimming, stretching and chipping away at writing projects that have been put on the backburner. Oh, and indulging in cooking plenty of deliciousness to enjoy amongst life’s other simplicities. It could be worse!”
—Kat Kennedy, Contributing Editor
Musical Theater Challenges
“In the lockdown here in New Zealand, I’ve found time to relax and rediscover my hobbies from singing to writing to catching up on books & TV shows. I’m doing the musical theatre self-isolation challenge (it’s 25 days which is nerve wracking but super fun!). Of course, I’ve been cooking up a storm too and experimenting with everything I can find in the pantry. I’ve also enjoyed playing board games with friends. Sending good vibes to everyone—we’ll get through this!”
—Debbie Tan, Contributor
Cleaner air
“1) Clean, oxygen-rich air for the first time in years in Portland, Oregon. 2) Rediscovering my passion for dance in my living room, for the first time in 11 years. 3) Regularly calling one of my closest college friends for the first time in a long time (that seems to be a pattern). 4) Finding the perfect new pink lipstick, moisturizing much more often, and generally focusing on self-care.”
—Juhea Kim, Editor-in-chief
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Photo: Iga Kazmierczak; Kat Kennedy; Peaceful Dumpling
