As of right now, people across the United States have been in quarantine for over 100 days, and recent spikes in coronavirus cases have shown that this quarantine may not end as soon as we'd hoped.It goes without saying that at this point many of us want nothing more than to get out of the house and reunite with the people we've been separated from all this time, but we can't let ourselves forget that they're the very reason we should be staying inside.
I stay inside for the three roommates I'll potentially be moving into a dorm with in the fall.
I don't want to get them sick by exposing myself to the virus only to pass it on to them when we're living in close quarters. They don't deserve to catch the coronavirus just because I'm starting to get cabin fever. I stay inside so we can live together without the fear of infecting each other lurking in the back of our minds.
I stay inside for my little sister, whose heart condition could potentially make her more vulnerable to the coronavirus than most.
She's at risk, and I can't jeopardize her health and well-being for my own selfish reasons. She wants to hang out with her friends just as much as I do, but because of the circumstances, neither of us can have what we want quite yet. We have each other until then, and she's definitely made this quarantine more bearable than it could have been if I was completely on my own. I stay inside so she can stay safe, because I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her because of me.
I stay inside for my best friend.
I miss her more than anything, but I know it'd be wrong for me to go out and spend time with her when we both have our siblings and parents and grandparents to think about. We've talked every day since the quarantine started via text and call, and although it's not the same as being together in person, it'll have to do. I stay inside - we both do - so that when this is all over, I can run into her arms and hug her for the first time in months - a moment I'll no doubt want to last forever. We stay inside because we love each other and will always do what's best for each other and for those around us, even if we want nothing more than to be in each other's presence.
We all have people we stay inside for.
Whenever you start to yearn for what's on the outside, remember who it is you stay inside for. Hold those people close to your heart and remember that someday, whether it be sooner or later than you think, you'll be able to reunite with them.
Just not yet.