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  2020-04-26

  We'll Meet Again

  During this tumultuous and stressful time of quarantining and attempting to manage COVID-19, there are a few things that have become apparent. First, as a society that has ceased to consider plagues as an imminent threat until recently, we have all taken human interaction for granted. The intimacy created by being in someone’s presence and experiencing their touch, smell, and energy is something we experienced every day before the quarantine began. Now, as people are locked away in their homes, we are all realizing that despite the technology at our fingertips, we cannot replicate those feelings. Video chatting, using social media platforms, calling, and texting are not substitutes for experiencing human connections face-to-face. Many couples and friends are unable to quarantine together, and because of that, they are missing out on the intimacy they used to have. We, as human beings, naturally crave human affection and love, and it can be quite difficult to communicate that when you must be so far apart. In addition, we have taken for granted the ability to go outside with virtually no fear of contracting a virus that could take away the lives of people around us, as well as ourselves. The ability to go outside and go to a park, admire nature, and walk around without a care in the world is gone. Art has always been an extremely significant aspect of life - it depicts history, emotions, imaginary places… Now, more than ever, art is an escape from the stressful reality that we face. It is also a means of bringing attention to the severity of the situation at hand. This piece represents the desire for intimacy of all forms that we experience when we are apart from the people that we love. It represents our connection with nature that has been taken away from us during quarantine. Eventually, this will all be over - in a few months, a year, or maybe even several years. But whenever it is, my friends, loved ones, and the beautiful aspects of nature that I miss so much - we’ll meet again.