The Unexpected Anniversary

Today, marks one year of being out of school due to Covid-19 and I am in utter disbelief that we have made it 365 days in this unexpected and very different lifestyle. When growing up, kids come to the realization of day-to-day activities. Every day starts to feel the same, making their life of going to school and working on homework plain normalcy. However, Covid-19 hit us with the hidden truth that nothing is promised in this world.

I distinctly remember the day that we found out we were all going to be out of school for two weeks. Excitement was the main emotion being showcased out of everyone and I don’t blame us for feeling that way. School back then was exhausting and to even imagine an unexpected break for us was like winning the lottery. I got the email when I was at lacrosse practice with a whole bunch of girls. Now looking back at it, it is so weird to think that we were in close contact without wearing a mask. All of us were so excited at the idea of being out of school. We all jumped at the opportunity to hang out with friends and enjoy the time as best we could. However, it wasn’t long until those exciting ideas turned into a dangerous activity for everyone.

The lock down, I believe, really put a number on everyone. Our normal, exhausting life had been put on hold like it didn’t even matter anymore. I remember the days where our school was still trying to figure out how to teach all the students without actually being present in the school building. Those were endless days of doing absolutely nothing. My life revolves around social aspects. I for one am always wanting to go out and be around people. I never enjoyed time spent to myself so, you could only imagine how I felt when I was told to stay home. This wasn’t the only thing clouding my usual optimistic outlook though.

While being told to stay put and not be around anyone, I was constantly reminded by the news of how many people were being negatively affected by this virus. I think it is safe to say that everyone during this time was petrified of the events that were occurring. All I would here were the increasing cases of the virus that, in the end, was so big that it became a significant imprint on the world. It was hard at this point to believe that there could be an end to all this madness. This virus was becoming out of our own control and more than enough people started to feel helpless.

Now, it is a year later and Covid-19 is still effecting so many people. We have gotten more control over the virus and even have a vaccine being used on people right now. This has obviously been a huge deal in our world and also one that has taken precedence in my mind over many other thoughts. It is so crazy to think that our normal life that we have grown up with was simply taken away by one single event. It has made me, and probably others, realize that this life is not promised to us in any way. Anything is possible which is something we should all think about as we make decisions in this world. Living your life to the fullest will overcome the elements in life that we can’t control. Yes, our world is significantly different than where we were a year ago, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be OUR life. We all need to learn, as a society, to cherish our promised factors in life as they can be simply taken away in the blink of an eye.