Ciara Benham
Staff Writer
cbenham@murraystate.edu
Olivia Badalamenti
Contributing Writer
obadalamenti@murraystate.edu
Undoubtedly, Valentine’s Day looks different this year because of COVID-19, but college sweethearts are finding ways to keep love alive in the pandemic.
Couples at Murray State have come up with unique ways to celebrate their relationship this Feb. 14, while remaining safe and socially distant.
From childhood friends to highschool sweethearts, sophomore Hannah Lawson and her boyfriend, both from Murray, are keeping tradition this year.
Lawson met her boyfriend of three and a half years when they were just kids at a country club pool. Later, through their church youth group, the pair began to date and subsequently celebrate Valentine’s Day together.
Their tradition began a few years ago when Lawson asked for only one thing for the holiday: a grilled cheese.
“My favorite Valentine’s Day memory was him cooking me grilled cheese because that is the only thing I asked for and now we eat grilled cheese every Valentines Day,” Lawson said.
The pandemic isn’t getting in the way of this couple’s cheesy tradition, as they plan to stay inside and eat their sandwiches and watch a movie.
Not only for Valentine’s Day but throughout COVID-19 Lawson and her boyfriend have been using food to make quality time for one another.
“We have tried to make an effort to always eat dinner together, whether we are cooking or getting take out,” Lawson said. “The time we do get to see each other we try and live in the moment making the time we have together special.”
Though Lawson and her boyfriend have been together for years, some couples haven’t known a relationship outside of COVID-19.
Ben Austin, sophomore from McKenzie, Tennessee, met his girlfriend last Valentine’s Day, so their entire relationship has been encompassed by the pandemic.
“I haven’t really experienced my relationship without COVID-19,” Austin said. “The main thing that COVID-19 has changed is how much we get to go out to eat or go to the movies.”
This year, Austin and his girlfriend still plan to go out to eat and get ice cream for Valentine’s Day, but this time keeping with the proper safety precautions the couple has always used.
“I guess you could say that having to wear a mask and social distance is altering my day, but those things have become the new normal,” Austin said.
Since Austin and his girlfriend have always dealt with COVID-19 in their relationship, they have found creative ways to date. Instead of going out to eat and seeing movies, the couple likes to make pizza and play video games to make their time together special.
“Keeping the romance alive isn’t about how much you go out and do fancy things,” Austin said. “It is about spending quality time with your partner and doing things that you both enjoy.”
COVID-19 has been a burden on many aspects of life, but Murray State couples have not let it harm their relationships, even for Valentine’s Day. One Murray State student, junior Maci Steele from Metropolis, Illinois, looks at the pandemic as a positive opportunity for love.
“COVID-19 has given my relationship the opportunity to grow,” Steele said. “COVID-19 has forced a lot of one-on-one time for many relationships. This is a time to take advantage of with those who you love.”