To say the least, it has been a difficult year for all of us. We are now quickly approaching the one-year anniversary that will mark the beginning of this global pandemic. A year whose hallmark has been the depletion of human intimacy across the globe. A year that has seen many of us spend much of our free time behind closed doors and suffocating masks. As such, we have been given two options: seclude ourselves indoors from the rest of humanity or connect with our peers through our eyes alone. So, we may ask ourselves, how can we surpass this colossal hurdle? How can we express ourselves using only our eyes?
It may seem daunting at first, but the human species is an adaptable one, capable of overcoming any hurdle that stands in our way. You could start by accentuating your reactions by using your eyes. If you find yourself with someone who’s telling a heart-wrenching story, show them your sorrow with a melancholic glaze. When a person speaks to you about an incredible adventure filled with the most captivating narrative, express your interest with an intense stare filled with anticipation.
If you’re feeling artsy, you may even want to use your face as the canvas for your emotions. While a mask blocks you from expressing your feelings, the right colors will substitute this nicely. When you wake up feeling sleepy and apathetic, it’ll be good to put on makeup using dark and foreboding colors. Perhaps you do extremely well on a test that had you worried sick the entire night before. You could quickly head back to your dorm and apply some bright colors that signal your pleasant surprise. Maybe you had a fight with a friend about a topic you’re both passionate about. Use red, orange and yellow to show the blaze of anger that swells deeply within your soul. If you find that the examples I have given don’t fit your range of emotions, then choose whatever color you desire. In the end, it doesn’t matter what colors you choose as long as they display who you are and how you are feeling at that moment.
Colored contacts are another method in which you can use colors to display your emotions. Let’s say that it’s a muggy and rainy Connecticut afternoon, and it just so happens that this rain comes just as you were about to head to the beach with your friends. Perhaps a blind fury engulfs you, so you may choose the red-colored contacts. Maybe you are a shy, well-tempered person who is saddened by the cancelation of the beach session. You may want to choose melancholy colors to reflect your sorrow. Or, on the off chance that you actually didn’t want to go, you can choose colored contacts which reflect your genuine relief at the cancellation.
In all honesty, it is completely fine to think that all the options I have given you are ridiculous. I don’t expect people to play Vincent van Gogh with their face or go out of their way to purchase the entire color spectrum of colored contacts. I would rather this serve as a living example of how ridiculous the time we are living in actually is. To think we would be pushed so far away from each other that we even have to contemplate these alternate methods of facilitating human connection is incredible. Feel free to joke about this ridiculous paper, but I also hope that you use it as a reminder. A reminder that we are living in a ridiculous time that has pushed each and every one of us to the brink. A reminder that despite the restrictions, there are still ways to connect and confide in others. Most importantly, let this be a reminder to go meet and talk with your friends. Go check up on how they’re doing and allow them to check up on you.
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