The Good Old Days

One of my favorite The Office quotes is “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days, before you’ve actually left them.” I have found this quote relevant multiple times throughout my life.

The good old days are the days everyone strives for when they are gone. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the meaning of good old days popped into my head in the most unexpected way.

Having lost the last quarter of my senior year of high school, I did not think life could get much worse. March to May of 2020 were some of the toughest months of my life… or so I thought.

I recently had time to reflect on the last year of life in a pandemic and something surprised me. I found myself missing the first few months of quarantine.

I actually had time to sit down and eat endless meals with my family. I did puzzles. I read books. I hung out with friends in new, creative ways. I got to cuddle with my dogs. I talked to my grandparents more than I would in normal times. I learned how to entertain myself in the midst of all the chaos happening around the world.

Yes, I would have loved to have gotten a normal end to my senior year, my last dance recital, a senior prom, but I cherish the times that COVID gave me. It may not have been the best times of my life but looking back on them, it was better than I realized.

The good old days are the moments you are in right now. One day, you are going to look back on these moments and miss them in one way or another. In realizing this, my goal is to enjoy every moment, good or bad. You never know if you will want them back.

And amidst this crazy journey called life, remember to stay authentic, ambitious, and aptly adventurous.

(Featured in the thumbnail is my paternal grandfather Steve Waterman holding (from left) my cousin Rachel, my older sister Allie, and me.)