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Collected Item: “Unplugged”

Give your story a title.

Unplugged

What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?

This is a photograph that I took myself when on a walk near my house.

Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.

This photograph was taken one day when I was out on a walk with my mother. I am in college, so we were forced to shut down and head home early for the semester. I live in Northern California, so it is very hilly and green in the springtime. Since we shut down before many other states did, we were forced to entertain ourselves at home for the majority of quarantine. My mom and I are both very into fitness, so we decided that we would take a two mile walk each day. I took this picture one day on our walk. I am calling this story “unplugged” because I feel that I may not have gone on these walks with my mom if we had other things to do. When on these walks, I was really able to take in nature and have great conversations with my mom. I feel that this was a super important time for me. I was not focused on anything that was going on around me besides the fact that I was spending time outside with my mom. This image is important to me for a number of reasons. This was a beautiful image of a landscape looking out into the hilly greenery of Northern California. I think that this picture is a representation of how we can find beauty even in the midst of a hard time. I took this picture at the start of the pandemic since it was taken late March. This was a time of lots of unknown and worry around the country. This is a time that everyone has to find happiness in each other, and learn to work with what we have. It is also important to take the time and spend time with the ones you love, as well as take time for yourself. These walks that I took with my mom allowed me to do both. I was able to take time for myself, as well as spend time with my mom after being away at school for a year.

Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)

Ashley Stotz

Give this story a date.

2020-03-31
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