4.4.2020

What started as a normal Saturday, turned into a day that I will never forget.

I woke up and made breakfast, then I headed to Trader Joe's for a grocery run as I was running out of food. Trader Joe's is still doing its six feet apart distance and limiting the number of customers into their store; at this point this seems like the norm.

Nothing strange so far right?

Sunny and 72 degrees? Yep, I hear a picnic calling my name and there’s no better place than to go sit on the quad on a beautiful, sunny day.

I realize it’s nearing 2 pm and I needed to head to the quad for the picnic with my friend.

Still nothing strange, just strolling around and finding a cozy spot to sit. I had brought a book that I was told to read called Everything is F*cked by Mark Manson. I couldn’t have asked for a better day to lay outside and read a book on my favorite campus.

I’m a sucker for a dog, and of course we came across a Belgian Sheppard dog. A day like today is a perfect day to take your dog out for a walk—then something odd happened. Minutes after seeing the cute dog, we see the same dog run across the quad at full speed, followed by its owner. It looked as if the dog had gotten loose. The owner running at full speed, oh barefoot yep, jumped over the bricks and fell but that didn’t stop him because he got right back up to go catch his dog. Shortly after, the mystery had been solved and the dog was back on the leash.

Okay not too different than any other day right?

*holds back tears*

Next thing we saw were two people in their cap and gown taking graduation pics. I have to say, that was a bittersweet moment because it’s our senior year and we’re all thinking about what’s to come and reminiscing on all of our memories. This was a tender moment and made me smile because we did it, we accomplished so much in these four years and I’m not ready to say goodbye to Carolina.

Moving on…I casually ran into two classmates, which isn’t something strange but instead it made me happy to see people I knew outside also enjoying the sun on the quad. It’s not every day that you get to be outside and read a book while being surrounded by good people.

The next thing I noticed was a bunny…yes you read that correctly. Not just any bunny, but this girl had brought her pet bunny out on the quad. I kid you not she brought the cage and everything. Quite fascinating yet pretty cool if you ask me.

Now my favorite part. This man was walking through campus with his headphones in and singing at the top of his lungs. It attracted attention and everyone sitting out turned to look at him. He had no care in the world and was doing his own amazing thing. He sang so loud and was so good, and it was pleasant to hear. He went by and the next thing we know he went to sit on the steps of Wilson and kept belting out. You could say we were serenaded; it was quite lovely. We even had the chance to request a few songs. This made my entire day as I turned and all around me every single person sitting on the quad was engaged and clapping. Truly a beautiful moment.

I’ll finish on the note that quickly after the singer left, some of us started to learn Tik Tok dances which were simply a blast and hilarious. I’m no Tik Tok expert, but I sure love to make a fool myself as I am not a dancer at all, nor do I have any rhythm.

All in all, a day I will not forget. It made me think that even in a time of crisis or during a pandemic, there is still hope and happiness all around us. It’s all about what you make it and how you take it day by day.

I encourage all of you to have a picnic, go outside on these beautiful sunny days, and smile a little more or if you’re feeling up to it don’t be afraid to belt out your favorite song.