By Calin, 19, Cincinnati, Ohio
During these times I am finding myself sleeping a considerable amount of time. I have also been exercising a significantly larger amount than I had before. I have found many videos to follow on YouTube that I do almost daily. I also take my dogs on long walks each day. On top of that, I have had the time to pick up some of my old hobbies that I did not have time for while I was at college. I have been baking a lot for my family including homemade bread, cookies, cupcakes, and cinnamon rolls. I have also found time to paint and do other arts and crafts with the abundance of time that I now have.
I am currently feeling very grateful for my life and the way that the rest of the world is responding to this situation. I think that the way people have come together to help health workers and their neighbors during this time speaks very highly of the country that we live in. It makes me happy to see all of the families in my neighborhood playing with their children in their front yards, when they would normally be away at work each day.
I think that this pandemic will influence my life for many years to come. I think that people will be more cautious of germs and being in close proximity to others. I certainly believe I will be more cognizant of the things that I touch after this is all over.
I think that Gen Z has certainly been impacted by the pandemic, but I also think that it will shape us into the people we become. I think that this experience has taught many people my age not to take anything for granted. Many of my friends have lost their spring break plans, their last few months of high school or college.
I believe that this generation has the potential to be the ones that are more grateful for the time that was spent with their families and the time that they had away from their friends to better themselves. Not everyone may realize this right now, but I think many years down the road more people in my generation will come to recognize the good that came out of an unfortunate situation.