It's no secret that parts of the quarantine have been awful. Isolation, depression, online school; the list could go on. But I have always had predilections for finding the silver lining in everything, and this quarantine has not been an exception. Let's take a look at some of the wonderful things that have come out of the Corona Quarantine.

People are spending more time outdoors.

A hiking trail near Cache, Oklahoma

Gabby Barber

Sure, am I biased to the outdoors? Absolutely. But in my weekly hiking adventures, I have never seen so many other people on the trails. It warms my heart to see others appreciate the beauty of nature and take advantage of the many opportunities to spend time in it, especially with new time that may have popped up due to the coronavirus. This outdoor exploration is an added environmental benefit to the decrease in fossil fuel consumption as fewer people are driving cars. Mother Earth is having a great time.

People are spending more time with their friends.

Some friends getting together following restriction uplifts

Gabby Barber

Because of the reduction in school pressure in the transition to online learning, mass Zoom calls with friends are through the roof. I talk to my friends through Zoom more often than we ever hung out during "normalized" conditions. I am grateful for the quarantine in this regard, for now I know that we will continue to be together just as often once COVID-19 subsides.

People are spending more time (and bingeing Netflix) with their families.

Netflix is a household necessity for quarantine

Freestocks

Although colleges are shut down and many students have returned home, it would be easy to shut oneself up in their room and resume the typical business of only seeing their parents once every three months. However, I realized that I took advantage of all the opportunities I had to be with my family while I was in high school. During quarantine, I have been grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with them. In fact, we are blazing through American Horror Story, and I am loving it. (My favorite season has been Hotel. I highly recommend.) We've also been playing board games together. Who doesn't love board games?

Quarantine has certainly had its downsides, not to mention the worry of contracting the coronavirus or already experiencing so much death in the world from it. However, I think an essential part of healing from it and continuing optimistically through its conclusion is to focus on the amazing benefits of this pause on the status quo.