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Pandemic Perspectives Paulino Mercenari 4/16-20

Hopping to it on Easter

Carlota opens up an Easter egg she just found

This Easter was by far, one of the more interesting ones I've spent with my family. Looking back on it, I just can't help but think of how memorable it was. Normally we would have gone out for breakfast, only to then go spend it at the Village Green where a yearly egg hunt would normally take place. Under these circumstances though, we were forced to think outside of the box in terms of how we were going to celebrate. We ended up ordering the plastic eggs and filling them with m&m's, and our grandma even ended up making us cookies! One of the reasons it was so important though was because it would be the first time my baby sister, Carlota, would actually be able to participate in an Easter egg hunt now that she could understand how to do it. The day was a fun reminder of ways to get by quarantine fever.

Seizing the day!

After grilling some steak, my mom takes a picture of us

It had been a while since we had eaten anything more than just chicken and pasta, and we were evidently getting sick of it. That was one of the reasons behind us wanting to have a barbecue. We all pitched in, my dad getting the meat ready while I cleaned the grill. My brother even prepared the kindle. It definitely felt off though, as most of our barbecues happened when he had guests over. Even then, we managed to find ways to have fun, with me and my brother jumping into the pool and playing with our baby sister. Our dad taught the both of us a thing or two about using the grill. And we played board games afterwards when the mosquitoes became too much to deal with. I'm even proud to say I wiped the floor when we got around to playing monopoly! This ended up being a fun family afternoon that showed planning isn't always necessary when you simply want to have a good time.

Hanging out with my baby sister

Carlota after climbing on top of this

Carlota can be a handful sometimes, and sure, before we all started social distancing I understood that. But it was only until my parents gave me the responsibility of taking care of her more often that I realized how much fun she could really be. Spending my day beside her now meant dealing with all the different sides of a toddler. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Throughout all of that there were a few things I learned. One was testing my own patience, as she'd regularly throw fits which I had to put up with, which in retrospect weren't so bad either. Another was how a toddler's mood can bounce onto yours. If I caught her giggling and smiling brightly at me, it would absolutely make my day! But when I could tell she was less enthusiastic, I would strive to cheer her up. Even if this meant going to great lengths to entertain her, such as letting her push me into the pool. (Which I considered to be totally worth it!). Having to look after a younger sibling can be a lot of work, but the payoff of having made their day is typically worth it.

Created By
Paulino Mercenari
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