SOL20 Day 31

Today is the last day of the Slice of Life Challenge. For me this is a huge accomplishment. Thirty one days of writing by choice. I have never done anything like this before. My literacy block class has opened the door to a love for literacy. I have become an active reader and writer. This challenge may be over but I plan to keep writing everyday. It has become my outlet for all the crazy things that are going on in my life. I want to keep learning how to be a better writer and encourage others to give writing a chance.

SOL20 Day 30

I have been disconnected from technology for over twenty four hours (with the exception of school work) and it has been difficult. I don't know how many times I have reached for my phone knowing that I turned it off and put it up. I didn’t realize how much I used my phone until it wasn’t there. 

I have been productive with my time rather than being on my phone or watching TV. I have been reading and not just for school. I have spent time outside getting some exercise and fresh air. I have even been working on being crafty. My sisters like to do arts and crafts. They are both artistic in their own way. Yesterday they decided to paint so I joined them. We had some extra canvases and paint from an old project. They used pinterest for ideas, and I went in a different direction. Mine ended up looking like paint splattered everywhere, my sisters deemed it abstract art, but I enjoyed the peace that came with working on it. Theirs came out beautifully. I might be a little jealous of their artistic abilities! We had a good time with our little “art class.”

One of the paintings from our art adventure yesterday.

SOL20 Day 29

With yesterday's events, I decided to turn off my phone for a little while. I need some time to be completely socially distant with the exception of school work. I have read that taking a break from technology brings peace of mind. I am going to use this time to enjoy the outdoors and work on myself. I have some things to figure out in order to navigate this pandemic. I am also going to use this time to focus on school. This semester has been an important one for me. I have learned a lot from my professors and my peers. I want to continue learning as much as I can before the semester is over.

SOL20 Day 28

I talked to my father on the phone today. For those who know me, that isn’t something I do very often. I wasn’t expecting him to call today; he usually only calls on birthdays and major holidays. These phone calls don’t usually leave me in a very good place mentally or emotionally. Today's call wasn’t any different. 

The call typically starts civil. He asks about the weather or in today's case how we are handling this Covid virus. Then he asked me about work. I let him know my job has been closed due to the virus. His response is exactly what I expected. He said “you better get another job then,” as if I am not aware of my current situation. 

I cut the small talk short. I guess I just didn’t want to hear it today. I asked him why he called. He informed me that he was not going to fly down and be at the birth of my niece (she is due to arrive early in June). Again, I was not surprised. He only called to tell me so I would tell my brother. I was so angry that words wouldn’t come out so I just hung up on him. What do I say to that? I don’t know how to tell my brother. He isn’t going to be surprised either but he is going to be upset.

SOL20 Day 27

Me and my baby brother

Today I took a break from school work. I have been working hard all week to stay on top of all my assignments. I needed to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air. My little brother asked me to throw the football with him. He is at that age where spending time with his big sister isn’t “cool” so when he asked I said yes! When he was little I was his favorite person. Wherever I went and whatever I did he followed. It was nice spending time with him doing something he loves. A lot of my free time is spent with my sisters and basketball, so this time with him was long overdue.

SOL20 Day 26

Coffee with Kerbs video chat

This morning I got to chat with a few of my Literacy Block classmates and my professor. On Tuesday we had class via zoom, but today it wasn’t all about school work. It was about checking in on each other. We did talk a little bit about school but when you are a student it is hard to talk about anything else. I didn’t realize how much harder it would be to communicate like this. As a student that was very vocal in class face to face, I am finding it a little more difficult to speak up and be active in the conversation virtually. I am not complaining though. Just being a part of this social interaction is what is keeping me going. I don’t have much to look forward to during this quarantine but I do have these video chats.

SOL20 Day 25

My brother FaceTimed me early this morning. His boss made him get to his new job site super early to scope it out. He usually likes being the first one on the site but this morning he wasn’t too thrilled about it. He is working on a sketchy side of town in Houston and he was worried about being the only one there. He told me that lately people have been breaking into job sites and stealing their equipment. He FaceTimed me so that he had someone to talk to while he was walking the site. This isn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing at 4:30 in the morning but I know if the tables were turned he would do anything to make me feel safe.

He likes to make weird faces to make me laugh!