Quarantine Island

Since early March, I have been a stickler for quarantining. I mostly eat at home and only go out when I really need things. I have been lucky and really cannot complain too much because I can work from home, and I have introverted tendencies. Hanging out at home reading, watching tv, doing crafts, and gardening is not that difficult for me. Some may say that I took Walden a little too seriously.

But with all of that, I met up with a friend at Honeymoon Island State Park (Dunedin, FL). Because we were outside, we were able to hang out more like old times. After hiking out to the end of the island, we dined on a backpack picnic with a determined seagull and listened to the waves. There was salty air, lots of sun, and good conversation.

While heading back to our cars, a gorgeous storm rolled into the Gulf of Mexico. One side of the sky was still a bright, crisp blue, and the other side was like a murky bubbling cauldron.

This day trip reminded me of two things.

First, natural Florida is beautiful. I missed being outside, soaking up the vitamin D from the sun, and breathing in the fresh air.

Second, even though it hasn’t been that long, I had forgotten how nice it is to spend a day hanging out with a friend. Being in person, chatting, laughing, and telling jokes is very different from half hearing each other and trying to connect over a Zoom call.