The pandemic has been sucking my personality dry. I’ve always been a goofy, lighthearted person. Nowadays, not so much — at least that’s what I thought.

Recently, I was watching Bob’s Burgers (one of my favorite shows on the planet) with my mom. While watching the episode, my mom said that Louise, the youngest Belcher child, was my spirit animal.

I thought, “Louise is hilarious — did that really remind her of me?”

I wanted to cry tears of joy. My mom’s comment made me believe that I, the once joyful and carefree me, is still somewhere within me.

For the rest of the pandemic, I’m going to try to hold onto that joy. Hopefully, when the world goes back to “normal,” it’ll be easier to build me back up to the person I once was.