It’s Monday March 30th, day 14 of the COVID-19 quarantine! By now, I’m pretty adjusted to my new workspace, the recliner in the living room. The cats climbing on and off my lap isn’t as distracting as it was on day three. I’ve mastered the art of working in my pajamas without being lulled into a nap two hours into my day. This is my new normal and at 2:45 PM on day 14, I finally accepted it. 

Hard to believe that this is only day 14 when it feels like I’ve lived multiple lifespans in the last couple weeks. Maybe it’s because my eyes and ears are so glued to updates and headlines. Maybe it’s because I’m in the same space all the time. Maybe it’s because I’m finally realizing that time isn’t a linear concept and that we should abandon it all together. Either way, we’re all having a very Matthew-McConaughey-inside-the-tesseract-in-Interstellar moment.

Intro aside, fear not. This is not another entry about how much I miss eating at restaurants (we’ll be reunited soon, @ Indochin), go out dancing with my friends, or make plans that I’ll cancel two hours before because I’m that guy. Today, on the 14th day of quarantine, I want to write about 14 good things that have come out of being stuck at home because of a global pandemic.

1. My room has never been this organized.
2. My entire house has never been this organized.
3. I’ve re-kindled my relationship with home cooking and all the joy it sparks.
4. I have a front row seat to how much the next door neighbors love their kids (I’m talking multiple bike rides and walks a day, folks).
5. The stack of books I’ve been telling myself I’ll get to eventually is finally receiving the attention it deserves.
6. My bank account finally knows what peace feels like.
7. ANIMAL. CROSSING. NEW. HORIZONS.
8. I’m around my roommates more and I am so very blessed for that.
9. I’ve developed the habit of making my bed every morning and let me tell you, there’s no better feeling than seeing that right before you go to sleep!
10. The cats haven’t had this much bonding time with us since we first got them.
11. Despite the physical distance, I feel so much closer to my friends. We text more, FaceTime more, and intentionally check on each other more.
12. Everyone is way funnier on Twitter than they already were (I’m working on this one).
13. I’ve developed a new perspective on and appreciation for things I thought I was already familiar with—namely emotions and experiencing a different kind of growth.
14. I’ve seen how resilient young people are. How we build community in times of crisis, how we uplift each other, and how we create change even on days when it feels a little hopeless.

Though this list is a reminder for myself (and hopefully for others) that good things still exist and will continue to, my greater hope is that it serves as a reality check. I’ll be the first to say that even in this situation, I’m extremely privileged. I am still employed, have health insurance, and have a strong support network. Unfortunately, there is a large—and growing—number of people who don’t have the same kind of resources and access that I do. Thinking about the good despite the bad isn’t enough. We need to spend just as much time, if not more, thinking about action. Collective action. Action that will lead to rent freezes or r/rent cancellations for folks who have lost their source of income. Action that will lead to the appropriate health care being provided to folks who are without it. Action that will lead to college students receiving the support that institutions with multi-million dollar endowments are denying them (looking at my alma mater, University of Minnesota). Action where it feels like we’re doing enough but can do way more. Not just for a select group of people but for everybody.

—Tristan Crowell, Campus Program Manager