The New York Times Magazine celebrates the little things in life through a weekly column called “Letter of Recommendation.” For the opinion writing assignment in Journalism 1, Mrs. Weiss asked the students to follow this style and write about something that they have come to appreciate more during the school closure and stay-at-home orders because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Enjoy! (Here is the link to the New York Times Magazine stories where these students got their inspiration.)

Hearing the ding of my phone tells me that one of my friends has texted me, and I look at my phone and see her message on my screen. Seeing my best friend’s messages makes me happy and lets us talk while I miss her sheltering at home. 

Before the pandemic, I always thought that texting was just for small talk like planning on when I would see that person next or what the homework was from the day before. 

When the pandemic began and we were forced into quarantine, my best friend and I would video chat each other. However, I learned that video chatting made me miss her more, so we decided to text each other rather than video chat. Instead, we send each other pictures of ourselves that day and pictures of what we’re doing or what our homework is. 

I have found that when you text someone, you can have deeper conversations. Over video chat someone could talk and not really mean what they are saying, but when you are texting you have to think about what you type before you send it. Every word counts more for some reason. 

Also, having the messages saved in my phone helps because I can look back at them and see what that person said to make me happy when I need a boost. My friend always tells me that we are going to see each other soon and that makes me feel happier and more certain that things are going to get better.

This pandemic has taught me that I should text the people I care about so I miss them less and it’s easier to stay happy.