2020 was a year of chaos. The world shut down on March 13th, the day I thought was the best day of my life. I was sitting in my 4th-grade classroom, nearing the end of the day, just before freedom. 

I hopped on my assigned bus and sat in the back rows, which were just for the cool kids, but some kids had already beaten me to it. As the rest of the kids filled in, we started talking about plans for the next two weeks.

Some were confused why we had a random break. Most ignored the lack of information we had and focused on the opportunity to avoid schoolwork. 

As the bus rolled into my neighborhood, I walked into my house and immediately went on my phone. I scrolled through TikTok, watching new videos pop up. 

Most videos, consisting of teenagers around the world, were excited that school was canceled, and my next scroll showed a news reporter.

It was a pandemic. I only ever heard that word when people referred to the Black Plague or diseases from hundreds of years ago.

 As soon as I read those words, a new fear settled in. I started texting my friends the news, but their parents were already ahead of me.

Yes, I think its the reason school closed.

Did you see the news?

My mom texted the family group chat, sharing an article about the new pandemic.  I knew only my dad opened it, since my sisters and I weren't really the 'article' type. 

I can only imagine my mom hopping right on Amazon and ordering every mask and hand sanitizer in stock.

Added to cart!

 A month went by after the news broke. My parents kept me away from my friends and the outside world. I couldn't play volleyball with my club team, play sandman at the park, or even go shopping (which I dreaded anyway). My parents' cars lay idle in the driveway while I stayed idle in my room. All I did was scroll. I'm surprised my fingertip didn't dull down from how much I did it. 

I immediately fell into a state of boredom and tiredness. I had an overwhelming lack of motivation, because there's only so much a person can do by themselves before it becomes repetitive. I kept reorganizing my room, trying new spots for my bed just to pass time.

Trying to break the cycle, I started playing video games. They soon became the best part of the pandemic, along with social media. I would call my friends every day and stay up till all hours. My new solution for boredom faded away as quickly as I found it. I fell back into a loop of brief diversion and dullness, filled with stuffy air.

New trends flooded the internet, trying to grab attention and failing to entertain me. That's when the highlight of my quarantine popped up: paper squishies. It was one of the strangest things I'd heard of, but who was I to judge if it brought me motivation?