My window has become my world. A looking glass so I may still see what is outside the walls of this house. The pink and purple hydrangeas outside my windowsill have bloomed into a magnificent feature of our front yard; yet I can't go out and smell them. The grass grows taller as though daring us to mow it. Each time a person jogs by, I wonder what the air must feel like on their skin. Do they worry about this disease, getting sick? Because I do. A family of susceptible people keeps me rooted to my favourite spot on the couch, tablet and keyboard set in front of me. A sketchbook and pencil to my left, and my best quality marker set to my right. The Xbox controller light blinks off after not being used. This pandemic has caused me to watch nearly everything on Netflix, and so the use of the TV is now only for games. You don't realize how good you are at being alone until you can't be around other people. My laundry pile is getting bigger, and our pantry is getting less full. Just waiting for this lockdown to go out of place so I can run with my dog, play volleyball with neighbours, and heck, even mow the lawn. And then finally; the sound of my salvation. The news reporter on the TV says we're going into Phase 2. I know what this means. Mask wearing and 6 feet apart, but I get to go out. To stores, to the park. I'm almost begging to go to Costco, which is something I used to have to be forced to do. I almost forgot what the car looks like from the inside. The way that the blue rim around the edges lights up when it turns on, and the way that my dog gets excited from hearing the words ‘car ride'. I roll down the window as we pull out, already feeling the cold air on my face, not even caring how messy my hair gets. Luna seems to be enjoying it too, with her head and tongue stuck out the window, and her fur a mangled mess. I know we both missed this. We go grocery shopping, of course, and I almost don't mind the feeling of my hot breath from wearing a mask. Almost. I haven't had my favourite chips in forever; they were finished off within the first week of quarantine. The amount of stuff we get makes it seem like we're never going to leave our house again. After loading everything into the car, we head to Starbucks- how could we not when we haven't had it in so long? I choose a Pink Drink, light ice, extra strawberries. The way it goes down my throat is like a sweet reminder of life before this pandemic. I beg my parents to take me to the dog park. The way I get them to give in is by saying that Luna is going to get fat and lazy if she doesn't get a good run soon. So we drive to Hovander Park, smelling the grass from a mile away. Luna freaks out like she always does when she sees where we're going. I know how she feels; I can't get out of the car fast enough. She jumps out and takes off like a bullet, passing other dogs and people. I take off after her, making my legs go as fast as they can. When I feel my heart is about to give out, I slow down and stop to smell the wildflowers on the side of the path. Luna comes prancing up towards me, a smile on her face that only a dog could produce. “I know, we both needed this.” I say to her while returning the grin. She runs ahead and looks back at me as if agreeing. “Alright, let's do it.” We have a game- one that requires patience on Luna's behalf and skill on mine. I tell her to stay and start to slowly walk away from her backwards, until turning and walking forwards, and then starting to jog. She stays in her position, and you can tell that it's taking all of the strength she has not to chase after me. I get to where I can hardly see her little ears. Then I call her. She takes off at full speed, becoming a blur of black and white. I start to run as fast as I can, looking back and seeing her gaining on me anyways. You can see her legs curl up underneath her like a horse. Her tongue hangs out as the force of the wind pushes it back. Suddenly I stop and turn around, and within 5 seconds, she's in front of me. She pants hard and then plops onto her back, silently asking me to rub her belly. I laugh out loud and see some people watching us in amazement at her speed. By now the car is almost out of sight and I figure we should head back. Washington weather is so very strange. The smell that comes right before the rain is in the air, and as much as I'd like to dance in it, my parents wouldn't appreciate a wet dog. Before we get to the car the light raindrops start to fall and I taste them on my mouth. Each drop that falls is cold and sweet, and Luna starts to stick out her tongue as well. What a beautiful sight; girl and dog content and happy. Once home, I happen to glance out the window. Seeing the hydrangeas, I simply walk outside and smell them. I pick one purple flower, place it in a vase, and leave it on the counter. I smile to myself as I walk away. As long as we can take advantage of the small things that make us happy, we'll be alright in the end.