It’s official; the COVID-19 pandemic has been plaguing the United States for an entire year. One year ago, we unknowingly had last sports practices, last games, last shows, last days of high school, last days of in-person classes for the rest of some students’ college careers. A year ago, we found ourselves thrown into a time of confusion, uncertainty, paranoia, and fear. It was and continues to be a trying time for humanity. Although it brought such pain, sadness, and frustration, it also brought a time of regrowth.
People learned not to take life for granted. Because everyone was quarantined for so long, it became a time of learning, listening, and creating. We learned new recipes. We began workout routines. People spent holidays and birthdays with loved ones over video calls. We learned to live life like the world is ending tomorrow. I believe this pandemic has harbored a time of creativity that has long been overdue.
The positive is not to overshadow the negative and loss that so many have encountered this past year. Many people lost jobs, friends, and loved ones throughout this pandemic, and it goes to show that we never know how life could change at the drop of a hat. Through our new-found creativity and more positive outlook on life, people have realized that not every day is guaranteed, and it is best to do the things you want to do, take risks, and live your life like there is no tomorrow.
If, and when, our society can safely return to a mask-less way of life, I believe we will enter into an era of living the way we’ve always wanted to. I believe people will celebrate even the smallest of occasions with the people they love and take risks that they would have never thought would be achievable. I think our society will have some modern-day semblance of the 1920s after the country was rid of the 1918 pandemic. History surely repeats itself, and that could be a positive step for our society today.
This has been one of the most trying years of my life and brought about some of the most difficult moments that I have ever encountered. Although it was not all good, I think of myself as lucky to have lived through such a historical time period. Lucky because I have found so much value in life. Lucky because I have learned at a young age not to take people and life for granted. Soon, we will all move on from this, and it will be a distant memory. With these memories, though, I hope we never forget the life lessons learned that need to be carried from this situation through the rest of time.