I wasn’t the only person in my bubble who quit leaving the house for the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic. My company moved us all to remote work and had us on phone headsets and computers all day long for our shifts. At first I absolutely loved being at home more because it meant I could practice guitar and paint more often. But as time went on and I was spending increasing amounts of time isolated, I started to really miss being around other people. My friends and I were in the habit of meeting up for drinks every weekend to decompress from the work week. When the pandemic hit and all of the bars and restaurants closed, we had to quit going out like we used to. I missed our outings after just two months of being cooped up in the house during the early stages of the pandemic. If you had told me it was going to take two years before the pandemic would start to burn itself out, I would have given up hope right away and said no thank you. I had to quit going to the local gym too because they were shut down due to statewide COVID mitigation guidelines. But thankfully the fitness centers are open again along with the bars and restaurants that my friends and I used to frequent. However, I have largely given up drinking during the pandemic in favor of my health and wellness. Now I’m obsessed with working out and weightlifting, along with yoga and cross fit as well. I am constantly active and don’t like the negative physiological side effects from drinking liquor, so I stopped. I feel much better now that I’m frequenting the local gym again and working out so close to a fixed schedule for the first time in my life.