A closer look at David Masini

The sound of wind chimes slowly moves through the breeze in the Masini backyard as David and his brother Ethan use gloves and antibacterial wipes to clean the groceries they had delivered. Bags were placed and spread out on glass tables set up on the cement patio, filled with all kinds of cleaning supplies and non-perishable foods. 

The year 2020 put everyone to the test in some category of their life such as school, family, friendships, etc., but for David Masini and his family, the test was far more drastic than most, considering they didn’t leave their house once for 18 months. 

“I just have family members who are at higher risk for Covid and so it was more of like you know keeping them safe and also like in consideration of others not wanting to spread the virus more,” Masini said.

Masini has a number of family members who were extremely susceptible to the virus due to cancer and other severe health conditions.

On March 14, 2020, his parents were the ones to ultimately decide that it was crucial to distance themselves by not leaving their house for anything and staying away from everyone they were close to outside of the house. The Masini family had taken precautions so as to not get family members sick before, but this was more severe than anything they had ever done.  

The four members of the Masini family made sure that they didn't come in contact with anyone else, including going to grocery stores and doctor appointments, mostly because Masini’s father has had bladder cancer on and off for the past 20 years. 

They ordered their groceries, medications and other necessities online for over a year and a half, taking everything that was delivered and placing it in the backyard to wipe off with disinfectant. 

Before the pandemic, Masini had been emotionally struggling with his mental health for years, but preferred to not reach out to his loved ones or deal with it himself. He spent most of his time anywhere but home and constantly surrounded himself with friends to distract himself. 

The challenge of staying inside was nearly impossible for him at first because it required him to be alone with himself for the majority of the time.

“It was weird watching everyone else outside and not being able to see them or having to wear masks with people and not be able to get close to them at all,” Masini said. “It was very uncomfortable but I kind of got more used to it, I made peace with it and kind of just accepted that that was how things were right at that moment and learned to work with that.”

As time went on, all he could do was adjust by learning to face the issues he had been dealing with internally for years, including the deaths of multiple family members and a friend. 

Masini had to do more than just keep himself inside and away from people, he had to work on himself by engaging more in therapy, quitting smoking, and turning all of his focus towardstoward his own happiness.  

The dynamic of Masini’s family changed drastically throughout their time inside, especially between Masini and his other family members. Masini’s little brother Ethan shared that he noticed there was a shift towards the middle of quarantine. 

“In the midst of it, I think we started to get along more and spend more time together and make the most out of being stuck inside,” Ethan said. “At the end, things started going back to how they were, but we make more out of the time we have together now.”

Masini had no choice but to lean on family, which was not something he was used to, but allowed him to have room for improvement in his personal relationships and himself. 

“I’d say Covid gave me an opportunity for me to really evaluate myself and further my connection with myself,” Masini said. “Because you know, before I was going out all the time and distracting myself by seeing my friends, not thinking about what my issues were, or distracting myself even more by smoking.” 

Both Masini and his little brother had a hard time cutting down their social life outside of the house to almost nothing. 

They had friends who were more than willing to visit a few times a month, but many had not been willing to sit outside, at least 10 feet apart and with masks on. 

“I learned who my close friends were and I learned who is willing to make time to see me with all the given circumstances and who kind of saw it as more of a bother,” Ethan said. “I saw who was really willing to make an effort to be around for that part of my life.” 

Masini had a handful of friends who wanted to sit outside of his house and talk to him through his gate for hours. 

“Hell yeah we made the effort to see him,” close family friend Sam Clark remarked. “There was no way we weren’t going to spend time with him for that long, we sat through some rough weather too but it was worth it.”

To make things more challenging, Masini’s mental health needed to be attended to and even though he tried to avoid it, there was nothing left to do after being stuck inside for a few months. 

“In the beginning of quarantine I think I got slapped in the face with my mental health and it was like, you know, my depression and anxiety but I think as quarantine kept going it was also an opportunity for me to work on that mental health because I have nothing better to do,” Masini said. 

Therapy was already a regular for Masini, but he always struggled to address what was really happening, he couldn’t stand to be alone with himself. Self-love was what Masini had been waiting to feel for a long time, and he finally got it. 

“It’s not just that I need to go out and see people to feel better about things,” Masini said. “I can now sit down and work through it on my own and come to terms with it and then yeah I look to my loved ones and friends of course, but not before also looking towards myself.”

For the Masini family, it’s only gotten easier to reflect on their experiences while staying inside now that they have finally finished their quarantine. 

Both of his parents, including his father, have recently returned to work and the boys have gone back to school and their own jobs. 

“Aside from feeling isolated for what was an extreme amount of time, I guess the best thing that came out of this is that we are all closer,” Ethan said. “We have worked on our relationships with each other and I totally agree that we have had that time to look at where we are with ourselves.”

The Masini family is still adjusting to somewhat a normal life, in the meantime they have made the decision to stop long-term quarantining, and are thrilled to see their other loved ones again. They are finally able to see family members in their own homes and spend time with friends outside of the house.

“It really kind of pushed me to work on things with myself so that I did enjoy being alone and I’m okay with being by myself and I value being around my loved ones and being connected with people, but I also value my connection to myself a little more,” Masini said.