Things to appreciate during quarantine

A little while ago, while consulting my family about ideas for my blog, my older sister threw out an idea that I both appreciated and immediately dismissed. Her idea? Ballet. She was, of course, qualified to suggest this because of her close relationship to it; she attends college in order to become a professional ballerina. We constantly war over ballet, with her insisting that art forms such as dance are crucial to the survival of the human race. I always counter with the fact that, scientifically, while art does help us feel better, it isn't really that important to our survival. I also point out that, as a musician, I understand how important art is, but other pursuits (medicine, biology, business) are vastly more valuable to us as human beings simply trying to survive.

But I think part of the point she tries to make is that art, while not crucial to our survival, is still vastly underappreciated. Of course, my mind working the way it does at night, I began to think of things that are underappreciated, which is something I think we all do, especially when those things aren't available anymore. You either underappreciate it because you don't see or pay attention to it, or you underappreciate it until it's taken away from you. That last one is especially interesting due to the whole quarantine-you-can't-go-outside thing.

So, in typical I-have-nothing-to-do fashion, I will now proceed to list some things that I think we should all enjoy... while they're still here.

No. 1: Instrumental music

I should probably warn you: art is kind of a big sticking point for my family and I, as we are all involved in it in one way or another. I understand that people don't really listen to good old fashioned, instrumental, classical music. I really do. But no music can replace a good orchestra playing dramatic sonatas and soundtracks. That's why movies use it so often. I believe at least half the reason movies are so successful is because of their music. If the movie succeeds, the album gets a ton of views. But I believe it actually works, at least partially, the other way around. When the music is good, it provides a feeling to the viewer that the storyline can't fully provide. That's why movies like Star Wars, ET, and Harry Potter are so successful... at least partially.

The point here is that while instrumental music still plays a large role in our lives. In a world where music is dominated by autotune and rap music, we can all learn to appreciate the old stuff... especially when we have nothing else to do.

No. 2: Baseball

If you think baseball is boring, then that's your problem. I learned a long time ago that fighting that battle is a useless endeavor. Some of my closest friends believe that baseball is dull, slow, and uninteresting. And if you want to believe that, go for it. But in spite of common sense, I'm going to go ahead and try to do the sport justice. If you agree, you don't have to continue. If you don't, well... you can if you want. But hopefully I can at least get my frustration with everyone else's ignorance out of my system so I can move on. Here we go...

Here's the thing about baseball: it requires your full attention if you want to understand what's happening. The game contains nuances that many people won't catch on your average summer afternoon, with the tv on in the background. No one can call a sport boring unless you devote your time to it. That's my first challenge to all you doubters out there. Pay attention to it!

If that didn't convince you, keep reading (it probably didn't). So while you watched, do you understand what happened? If you did but didn't find it interesting, you're beyond hope. If you only kind of understand, but think it is boring and terrible, then look again. Those things you missed, you missed because of the speed at which they occured. In a blink of an eye, a runner can advance, someone can commit an error, or a shift could occur, changing the outcome of the next play. When you catch this, all of the sudden everything hits you at once. It's only boring because you didn't catch the game inside the game; not just the score, but how it happened, and how what made it happen happened. When you understand that, the game is suddenly very interesting.

I probably failed to convince anyone, but I'm glad I tried. Anyways...

No. 3: Being outside

I'm lucky. Moving to the middle of nowhere has provided me plenty of space to be outside. Most of the time I'm not technically outside, but sitting on the screened porch counts. Right?

Yes, I know that you probably don't underappreciate this right now, considering you can't really go outside, but chances are you probably did before this whole thing happened. I know I did. I didn't spend all that much time outside, and I still don't. But not being able to really go out, really go the farmer's market or really greet people walking their dogs, makes me realize how much nature benefits all of us. Chances are you wish you could go out right now. But would you want to go out if you weren't locked at home? Maybe you would, and that's great, but I bet most of you wouldn't, instead choosing to watch a show or surf the web (for the record, I'm just as guilty of all of this as anyone reading this, so don't think I'm trying to put anyone down). Point is, hopefully we can all appreciate being outside once that privilege returns.

No. 4: Ballet

I had to put this on here. This isn't for any deep reason. I just enjoy it. Would I go see it all the time, even if I could? No. But I have gone to a performance of The Nutcracker nearly every year of my life, and while I didn't appreciate it that much, I began to enjoy it around age 13. Despite seeing it soooo much, once I really started to watch it and follow the story, it was enjoyable to see it put into dance instead of words on a page.

You know how many people prefer graphic novels or comics to plain books? Think of ballet like a live-action, intricate, beautiful graphic novel. It's a story expressed by movements and motions, characters dealing with their own problems in a graceful manner. In addition, it's probably harder than you think. You'll have to trust me on this one. My older sister has had to work incredibly hard to be a successful dancer. It's physically and mentally challenging to put yourself on a stage and rely on only your body to entertain hundreds of people. It's easier to appreciate when you have a relationship with it, but if you look into the work behind it, it helps you understand the finished product.

So next time you see a ballet (which might be never, I don't know) think about how hard the dancers have worked to get there. Also consider what the story might be behind the dance, or look it up. I guarantee that you'll have a more enjoyable, entertaining experience than you might have thought.

So that's my list! If anyone has any other suggestions for this list or ideas for posts, shoot me an email at catchershort11@gmail.com or dm me on Instagram @e_huffman11. Thanks for reading, and stay safe and healthy!