Dear World,

There are many things that bring me joy since being on quarantine. Some of them are music, food, and family. These are things that I endure daily, but it’s more cherishing now. I love being around my family and having good meals with them. We’re always listening to music! We sing and dance around the room. Sometimes we dance to the same song as a day before and sometimes it’s different. Either way, it’s enjoyable. I never thought that I would enjoy Sesame Street as much as I do now, especially when watching it with my nephews. I think that Grover is my new favorite monster.

Until next time,

Shae

Alegría
by Wendy

En un lugar muy lejano, despertó una girasol,

la cual estaba rodeada de miles y miles de girasoles,

unas más grandes que otras,

unas con un brillo inigualable

y otras intentando crecer,

Todas hermosas.

Joy
by Ayah

I guess I’ve improved myself because I can sit here and say, I bring myself joy. That said, I don’t want to make everything about me so here’s a list of stuff that makes me happy:

God
My mama
Me
My cute little plant baby who’s growing so fast and is named Mustafa
Kurulus: Osman
Ramadan
Writing

Joy
by Victoria

Some of the things that bring me joy during this time is being on Tiktok, Instagram, and Cleaning. Also, going over other family members’ houses and spending time with them. I have maintained joy by constantly talking and calling friends. Something that happened during this quarantine that is unfortunate is that I found out I might not go to the school that I really want to. However, I am really hoping I can go.

Finding Joy
by Marc

Finding joy from the beginning was hard. Everything was gray and dull. A few bright spots for me were getting to actually sleep in and being able to relax with my family more. It makes things less tense. The hard part for me was still trying to enjoy the college life, while also juggling a social life, my family life, and all of the college assignments becoming online now. To combine this all, at first, seemed like a tall task, but with a modest plan of taking it a step at a time helped me through my issue. As of now, I complete my assignments in a timely manner. I get more time to spend with my younger brother, playing on my xbox, and watching TV with my mom and grandparents.

Dear Diary,
We are supposed to write about how we are finding joy through this quarantine. Since my mom, it’s been really hard to find anything that resembles joy, but there are some good days. This past Sunday was Easter and I think it’s the most joyous i’ve felt in a while. All of my siblings plus some of our friends came over and we cooked a big dinner and just enjoyed each other’s company. It was a day full of laughs and it reminded me that even in rough times you can find joy in the people you surround yourself with.

J’yona

Joy
by Tatiana

I will never take being outside for granted again.
The fresh air, the freedom.
Looking back, I can say it brought me joy.
Stuck inside, but that’s what’s safe.
I feel like I’m caged in this crazy pandemic.
Just wondering if there will ever be an ending.
I’m bored, doing work checking Instagram, and watching movies with the family.
Communication has a new meaning.

Joy
by Shawma

While being trapped in the house because of the unfortunate events I found joy in new things. I have been writing a lot lately. I just write short stories and poems. This brings me joy because I get to create a world where I’m not in the house all day. I experience the outside world through my writings. I also have time to watch tv which I never really do. I had forgotten how much I love cartoons. Shows like Teen Titans brighten my world because they make me laugh in times of hardship. I believe I also found joy in isolation because being alone with your thoughts and yourself helps you get to know yourself better.

Harmony
by Camal Ali

In the absence of freedom one will know joy only well enough to call him a stranger. The fact that we can do as we damn well please (for the most part at least ) is what makes our lives enjoyable. But wait, what if you take a fraction of someone's freedom? Do you take a fraction of their joy as well? What if we told Johnny that he must practice social distancing, that he couldn't go to his favorite club or store, and let's not even talk about the 8 p.m curfew. What if we told Johnny that a widespread and highly infectious disease is stripping away his freedom? How would he react? You’d think he’d be pretty upset right? Boy I sure wish we could ask him so we could know for sure, but unfortunately Johnny isn’t real so we’ll have to ask Camal.

Joy
by Jailah

There are only a couple of things that bring me joy. Family brings me joy, just knowing that I have a supportive family behind me is more than joyful, it’s a blessing. Doing what I love and want to pursue in my life as a career, which is cosmetology — specifically doing hair.

Dear Diary,

It’s me again.

I wrote down my feelings last week, but here I am again. Though my family has been affected by Covid-19, I’m trying to remain in high spirits. My anxiety is really high, but I’ve had the same album on repeat for five days now. I’ve been trying to keep myself busy by watching countless episodes of shows on Netflix and Hulu. I am trying my best to keep up with all my assignments for school even though there’s a lot going on.

Finding Joy
by Tania

Even before the virus, it was hard to find joy in something because most of the time, I am doing homework, studying for exams, and helping my mother in any way I can. But I realized that learning is something that relaxes me and makes me happy. Still, I am not talking about school learning in which I take different courses, and I am expected to absorb all the information that is being given to me. Instead, I am talking about a particular type of learning that can keep my mind busy and, at the same time, expand my knowledge, not only to pass an exam but to feed my soul.

Joy
by Aniyah

While being weeks into isolation, yes things get boring and it is hard to stay upbeat. But one thing I have realized is that with a positive attitude you can make extreme changes. A couple of things I have done are listen to music. Music is something that you can make your own and sit back and enjoy. Another thing is exercise... and that is one that has helped a lot.

Joy
by Bilal
(to the tune of 'Riot!' by Earl Sweatshirt, 84 BPM)

nothing but bliss, when there’s not a worry on your mind
watching the sun rise, over a purple sky
finding your peace of mind, i wanted a piece of mine
feeling was so divine, no need to look behind

Dear Diary,

Joy is a feeling of happiness. Social distancing is a great time to focus on yourself and become a happier person. For me, it has brought me happiness. I've always been a homebody so staying home isn't an issue for me. However, there is no official date when we will ever get to go outside again and that brings sadness.

Joy
by Sam

During this time of Pandemic joy has come to me in many ways I did not expect. Most of the things I resented over three weeks ago I have currently found the beauty in. During my scheduled programming I work 2 jobs, go to school full time, I am a part of two campus organizations, I have homework, and I am a guinea pig mom.

Joy
by Lee

In these recent years and past few months joy has been extremely hard to find. As time goes on and life sucks the life out of us, it's hard to smile. However, in recent weeks I've tried to find joy in the smallest of things. For example: my dog, Jack, following me around everywhere because he noticed a shift in happiness

Joy During Quarantine
by Marlow

The forms of joy and excitement during this time are few and far between but that still does not hinder me from enjoying activities such as working on cardio every day on the treadmill. Exercise is one of the few ways to break the confinement that I find myself in and it helps to take a brisk walk, run, and or stroll through the neighborhood and enjoy the air. Another great way that I manage to find joy during this time would be through a game I rediscovered by the name of 'Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic'.