By Dylan Rivers
I was inspired to do this vlog by a conversation. The pandemic had been raging for about 7 months at the time, and the light at the end of the tunnel was not yet visible. While sharing smalltalk, my classmate mentioned how weird it felt to go to the grocery store. It got me thinking.
I spent my summer working in a grocery store. I needed the money, and it was one of the few places that was actually hiring. Looking back, I realize I took the job for another reason: to feel normal. I had a schedule that involved going outside of my own home, and despite the plexiglass at the checkstand and the storewide mask mandate, I could interact with people on a weekly basis. Of course, I was still hyper-aware that the virus was present, but it softened my mindset of being “quarantined.”
Then I moved back to California. Suddenly, my job became school which I Zoomed into from my closet, and my social interaction was playing video games with my similarly isolated roommates. However, we still needed food. Going to the grocery store became a surreal experience. It was an adventure on its own because it was our only real glimpse into the world beyond our duplex. It was boring, yet every time I went shopping for next week’s meals, I couldn’t help but feel fear.
This is the same fear I have felt since March. It is the same fear that was with me during a 36 hour whirlwind that brought me from Madrid to LA, and it is the same fear I have about returning to my family for the holidays when the only safe place in the country seems to be our island state. The story we call 2020 has been defined by this fear, and it has made a fairytale feel like a nightmare.
If my study of stories has taught me anything, it is that fear can be overcome. The pandemic has reminded me how young and helpless I still am, but it has also shown how resilient and mature I can be. Fear is necessary in fairy tales because it gives way to hope. Like fairytales, 2020 has shown us that there is a shining castle at the end of the mangled, oppressive woods. We just might need a GPS to get us through this last mile.
