Patterns of the Pandemic

My dogs believe in encores. They bark at squirrels and other dogs even after they have left their line of sight, hoping they’ll come back to the applause.

While+in+quarantine%2C+I+have+noticed+that+my+dogs+bark+so+much+more+now+than+before.+Perhaps+they+have+always+barked+this+much%2C+but+I+was+only+a+witness+to+it+for+a+fraction+of+the+day.

Chris DiGiovanni

While in quarantine, I have noticed that my dogs bark so much more now than before. Perhaps they have always barked this much, but I was only a witness to it for a fraction of the day.

Even in chaos, patterns can be found.

That holds true when looking at fractals or clouds, but I believe I have found patterns in the midst of this pandemic. Being at home everyday has made me pick up on things I haven’t noticed before when I would go to school for eight hours a day.

My dogs bark endlessly at squirrels, that I’ve always known. They bark at the occasional neighbor walking his or her dog, as well. While in quarantine, I have noticed that my dogs bark so much more now than before. Perhaps they have always barked this much, but I was only a witness to it for a fraction of the day.

My dogs believe in encores. They bark at squirrels and other dogs even after they have left their line of sight, hoping they’ll come back to the applause. The barking gets unbearable after a couple minutes, so I always go to the door and look to see what they are barking at.

Usually there’s nothing there (good grief!), but sometimes I can still catch a glimpse at the neighbor before they go out of sight.

Over the seven weeks of quarantine, I have noticed when to expect my neighbors walking their dogs, and subsequently expect my dogs to go ballistic. There is always someone walking their dog around two o’clock in the afternoon. The weather has been getting better, so I don’t blame them.

It always causes my dogs to bark, and I know immediately that it will probably be my neighbor who lives a couple houses up from me, walking her white shih tzu. The solid three minutes of barking irritates me everyday, but, in retrospect, I think it is interesting how people and dogs alike still continue and develop patterns even when the world is on pause.

I have been keeping an eye out for other patterns: the four note chirp of the birds I hear through my bedroom windows at five in the morning, the hour that the FedEx truck drops off our mail, the amount of calls for work my mom is on everyday, and so many more. The lack of activity in my life has made me more aware of less noticeable things around me that have always been there.

As therapeutic as this minimal living is, I cannot wait to return to normalcy.