A Taste of Freedom- Jack Maraziti
As June and the end of school approaches, many people are looking into what our summer will consist of. Will we continue to social distance, or will it be like any other awesome summer? Although it did not seem promising a few weeks ago, things are starting to look brighter for our summer fun.
As of Memorial Day weekend, New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, has eased restrictions to allow a gathering of 25 people outside of buildings and 10 people inside if social distancing remains "intact." As soon as the day after this small gathering was permitted, I saw a gym hold a class outside. Even though the members had to remain 6 feet apart, it was a step towards the "normal" lifestyle we once had. Furthermore, non-contact sports as well as summer camps will be able to resume on June 22. Although soccer is not among the list of non-contact sports, this reduced restriction provides hope that there will at least be a soccer season next fall. Additionally, the outside gathering of 25 people means that teams will be able to at least gather and have a practice in a socially distanced environment. As these restrictions ease in New Jersey and around the country, many people are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As the days pass by, I am starting to see more and more people getting together with friends and enjoying the great weather outside. On the weekends at the shore, hundreds of people are hitting the beaches. Although this is great, we still have to remember to be smart amidst the dangers of the pandemic. One thing that I have heard researchers say is that we should choose a group, or inner-ring, of 20 people that we can be around during Covid-19. In my ring, I have grandparents, cousins, and a few friends that I can run, bike, and play soccer with. Since it is very hard to track interactions of individuals that may have contracted the virus, it will be easier to notify a group of people that a person within their ring has been exposed or has the virus. This more efficient method will also allow for more freedom during this time. I have been able to go mountain biking, running, and play a little soccer with my ring over the last 2-3 weeks. Even though this is not close to being able to get together with all of your friends, it is still a ton of fun and provides a taste of normalcy that can help carry us through these times.
Another powerful way to combat our boredom of time at home is to rediscover and explore new hobbies. I am usually used to week days consisting of school, practice, track meets, soccer games, and homework while the weekends are soccer tournaments, more track meets, more practices, and more homework. With all of this happening, it is rare to find a weekend that is free, and when we do, it is often spent catching up with family. While all of this stuff is great, it leaves barely any time to do other hobbies. However, as Covid-19 has brought all of these activities to a screeching halt, my family and I have had more time to start doing the other things we have never had time to do. I now go fishing, mountain biking, and kayaking about 2-3 times each week! Normally, these type of activities used to only happened 3-5 times each year! It has been great and really fun to get back into doing these awesome activities. I never knew how much I actually enjoyed mountain biking! Other Americans are doing the same thing as well. My Dad and I went to pick up some tackle and a new pole for fishing, and discovered a raided fishing isle! Even when looking for a mountain bike online, some companies were almost completely out of stock! As boredom sets in, more Americans are picking up and rediscovering many hobbies that they usually don't have time for. These hobbies can be extremely fun, and are helping many people to get through this tough time.
By discovering new hobbies and being creative with the activities that we do with our friends, we can all still have a great time and feel like there still isn't a severe virus while still being safe.
As of Memorial Day weekend, New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, has eased restrictions to allow a gathering of 25 people outside of buildings and 10 people inside if social distancing remains "intact." As soon as the day after this small gathering was permitted, I saw a gym hold a class outside. Even though the members had to remain 6 feet apart, it was a step towards the "normal" lifestyle we once had. Furthermore, non-contact sports as well as summer camps will be able to resume on June 22. Although soccer is not among the list of non-contact sports, this reduced restriction provides hope that there will at least be a soccer season next fall. Additionally, the outside gathering of 25 people means that teams will be able to at least gather and have a practice in a socially distanced environment. As these restrictions ease in New Jersey and around the country, many people are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As the days pass by, I am starting to see more and more people getting together with friends and enjoying the great weather outside. On the weekends at the shore, hundreds of people are hitting the beaches. Although this is great, we still have to remember to be smart amidst the dangers of the pandemic. One thing that I have heard researchers say is that we should choose a group, or inner-ring, of 20 people that we can be around during Covid-19. In my ring, I have grandparents, cousins, and a few friends that I can run, bike, and play soccer with. Since it is very hard to track interactions of individuals that may have contracted the virus, it will be easier to notify a group of people that a person within their ring has been exposed or has the virus. This more efficient method will also allow for more freedom during this time. I have been able to go mountain biking, running, and play a little soccer with my ring over the last 2-3 weeks. Even though this is not close to being able to get together with all of your friends, it is still a ton of fun and provides a taste of normalcy that can help carry us through these times.
Another powerful way to combat our boredom of time at home is to rediscover and explore new hobbies. I am usually used to week days consisting of school, practice, track meets, soccer games, and homework while the weekends are soccer tournaments, more track meets, more practices, and more homework. With all of this happening, it is rare to find a weekend that is free, and when we do, it is often spent catching up with family. While all of this stuff is great, it leaves barely any time to do other hobbies. However, as Covid-19 has brought all of these activities to a screeching halt, my family and I have had more time to start doing the other things we have never had time to do. I now go fishing, mountain biking, and kayaking about 2-3 times each week! Normally, these type of activities used to only happened 3-5 times each year! It has been great and really fun to get back into doing these awesome activities. I never knew how much I actually enjoyed mountain biking! Other Americans are doing the same thing as well. My Dad and I went to pick up some tackle and a new pole for fishing, and discovered a raided fishing isle! Even when looking for a mountain bike online, some companies were almost completely out of stock! As boredom sets in, more Americans are picking up and rediscovering many hobbies that they usually don't have time for. These hobbies can be extremely fun, and are helping many people to get through this tough time.
By discovering new hobbies and being creative with the activities that we do with our friends, we can all still have a great time and feel like there still isn't a severe virus while still being safe.
That's so cool that you've had more time to explore hobbies that are usually brushed aside! I've been doing the same things (except I've never mountain biked, it sounds really fun though). I would definetly like to try this inner circle method! So far, it's just been me, my sister, mom and dad, and a bunch of facetiming. It'd be great to hang out with a few other people!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of an inner circle and I'm so glad that you've been able to bike with some friends. We all need some more normalcy for sure. Fingers crossed it keeps getting better for everyone.
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