Items

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  2022-06-13

  Arches National Park

  Once COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted, my then-girlfriend (now wife) and I went on our first long-distance road trip together. We wanted to see Arches National Park. This was the start of our checklist to see all 63 National Parks in our lifetimes. The key memory for this trip is that I almost proposed. We’d been talking about marriage, and the timing made sense. She likely expected it that weekend. We hiked out to one of the arches which was gorgeous. The scenery was perfect for a proposal, but it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I was sweating a bit already and she was glowing. Upon reflection I decided it was too hot outside for a proper proposal. Thus, I proposed after the trip in an indoor location. That is a story for another time. Overall, it was a wonderful visit to the park, and our first trip together of more than four hours. The park visitor center still requested masks as a courtesy. That said, there was ample room for social distancing once outside of the building. Trips like these were the safest for tourism at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, because of the vast open air. I felt much better at this National Park than I would have felt in densely populated areas.
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  2022-06-13

  And then they weren't neighbors

  I wrote this story about an elderly man who lost his wife in war and suffers from PTSD. He then hears then news about Covid-19 and becomes more isolated because his family is worried about giving him Covid since he is more susceptible to dying. However, as he is getting lonely he realizes his neighbors are abusing their son, so he decides to adopt the little boy. This is to show how domestic abuse became worse with Covid-19 and how some neighbors were able to connect more than before. Finally he catches Covid and passes away, leaving the boy alone again. However, it ends with the elderly man and his wife as angels together. The objective is to show that death is inevitable, with or without Covid-19, but Covid-19 has made many people's lives a lot harder with the added struggle of financial burden, loneliness, and family struggles.