Monday, May 4

Dear Diary,

I have to say, today wasn’t the best. I managed to force myself out of bed around 7 a.m., which is progress from the early 2 p.m. wake-up time that became routine during the first few weeks of quarantine, but I just wasn’t very happy because sometimes I really just can’t get my mind off of how difficult this whole situation is for those who don’t have the privilege of sheltering-in-place. Recently, I’ve been listening to The New York Times Daily podcast. Each episode provides me with 30 minutes of news banter. Listening to the podcast has become a daily ritual, which may be the reason for my negative attitude — to hear first thing in the morning that the president has claimed injecting disinfectants into the body is a cure for the coronavirus makes me worry about the recovery of our nation. 

My workout today consisted of a 40-minute bike ride around Palo Alto, where I allowed my brain to shut off from the anxiety of listening to the news. After that, I just didn’t have the motivation to get my school work done. It took me a few (distracted) hours just to write down a list of my school assignments. Come nightfall, I had only checked one assignment off my list! I feel like a phone break would be refreshing and valuable for my mental health, so maybe I’ll do that at some point. I had some banana bread I made over the weekend which was probably the highlight of the day. I have discovered that microwaving banana bread makes it 100 times better because of the oozing chocolate. I saw this recipe online where you make French toast out of banana bread, what a concept! I may have to try this out in the future.

Tuesday, May 5

Dear Diary,

Today was much better than yesterday, both in terms of productivity and my mental health. I managed to get a good chunk of school work done, plus, I picked some flowers across the street which I then made into a bouquet to bring some life and color to my room. I went to the park pretty late in the day, which was very peaceful because nobody was out and the moon was almost full. Seeing the moon gave me hope. In a way, I was able to take on a different perspective: even though there may be a global pandemic occurring, the world will keep spinning, and the moon will keep rising and falling every night. 

Wednesday, May 6

Dear Diary,

Today I went on a bike ride with my dad. It was a lot of fun, and I am excited to get faster, as I am hoping to rebuild my endurance. I am thinking back to cross country season, when I was in shape and running was more of a release rather than a chore. I think biking is helping me get back to that same feeling. It has been hard for me to go about my everyday life knowing so many are suffering because of the pandemic. Everyone complains about what we are going through, but we are privileged to have homes and the ability to social distance. I just hope that people will make social distancing more of a priority so that this will all be over soon. Hearing about the crowded beaches in Miami this morning shocked me. I had thought that everyone understood the severity of the pandemic enough to stay in their homes.

Thursday, May 7

Dear Diary,

At this point of the week, I am usually nearing the end of my workload, but for some reason, I still have a long way to go. I noticed that this week my teacher has ramped up the assignments, so I have more on my plate than usual. For my brain break today, I decided to take my skateboard, which hasn’t seen much action in months, out for a ride. I have made it a new goal to perfect my ollie, as last summer I got pretty close but not 100% there. I have found a lot of value in skateboarding because it teaches me determination and hard work. It gives me the chance to use other parts of my brain and body that school just does not really give me access to. Outdoor activities are a great way to keep my brain working and learning rather than frying from hours of watching YouTube or Netflix. Speaking of, I started a show called “Community.” It is a lighthearted and clever sitcom with countless hours of obscure entertainment references which make it fun to watch, but not gripping enough that I will binge all six seasons and mess up my sleep schedule. What I am looking forward to the most is summer. It is only a few weeks away, yet each week feels progressively slower the closer it gets to the end of the school year. It feels weird to me that I will soon be a senior — it feels like I was cheated out of almost a full semester of high school, but I am sure it will not be that big of a deal when I look back on all of this. I cannot wait until I am looking back on all of this.

For now,

Sasha Lehrer