by Kelly Mooney
When the pandemic hit in the middle of our busy and hectic lifestyles, big adjustments needed to be made. In a series of interviews, I would like to explore the activities that friends, family, and peers found themselves doing and having extra time for in quarantine. Although we faced many hardships since March, it was a good opportunity to reflect and take a break. So, in a positive light, what activities kept us sane in an otherwise restless day-to-day mindset?
This week I spoke with Stacia LaRoche, a senior at Lasell studying Psychology with a minor in criminal justice and youth and crime. Stacia’s mom, two brothers, and sister are remotely working from home. One of Stacia’s brothers, who attends Emerson College, also had to leave school early. The following is a transcript of our conversation:
K: Do you have a favorite activity during quarantine?
S: I got a puppy.
M: Aw, what is its name?
S: Her name is Charlie.
K: I’ve heard of a lot of people getting pets in quarantine to keep themselves occupied. Were you or your family still able to work?
S: Yes, I was able to do classes from home. My mom worked from home, still in advertising, so she has a lot of meetings. We tried to be quiet when we were working.
K: Did you take any corona safe vacations? How was it different?
S: I went to the Cape like I do every year. There were people wearing masks, but it felt no different. It was nice.
K: Did you rediscover anything you once loved?
S: I used to read comic books. Kind of nerdy. But now I find them more relatable because they are about not knowing where you are going to go next in life.
K: What got old quickly?
S: Taking care of the puppy. My brothers and sisters slept in, and I was the only one willing to walk her and clean up after her.
K: What do you wish you got to do with all the free time at home?
S: There is not anything that I wish I got to do with all the time that I had. There is not anything that I wish I had more time to do.
K: What did you learn?
S: I definitely learned patience and my family learned to co-exist with each other.
K: And the puppy taught you patience, I bet. Do you have anything to share?
S: A comic book called Superman: Earth One.
Like many families, Stacia and her siblings had to find a way to finish the school year. Their family had a new addition (Charlie) to keep themselves occupied, entertained, and happy during the stay at home order. By rediscovering old comic books, Stacia had the time to find new meaning in them. The coronavirus has created, in many ways, a new lifestyle. It may be awhile before we can revert to our old ways, but we can still enjoy some of this new lifestyle until then.
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