COVID Diary: The Unexpected
Life Before COVID
Life before COVID was different, I had school 5 days a week, a job 4 times a week, and a good group of friends I would see just about every day. I didn’t expect much out of the year, just wanted to get through another year of high school and have fun with my friends while I do it. I was looking forward to summer and all the free time I would get to spend outdoors and at the beach with my friends and family, but that didn’t really pan out so well.
Dawning Realization
I remember all the memes I was seeing all over social media about the spread of a mysterious virus in China, and how no one took it seriously, we all just laughed as if it was a joke. Then I remember when they told us they were closing the school for 2 weeks because of this COVID virus, and how everyone was just so happy to get 2 weeks off. Then about a week in, the virus was everywhere, the schools had gone from 2 weeks to a month, and all of a sudden you couldn’t even buy toilet paper at some stores. Didn’t take much longer for everyone to be on complete lockdown in their homes, schools had now begun to go online, and you were required to wear a mask if you had to go somewhere.
Studenting
Personally the biggest change for me was no more in person school, it gave me free time that I never would’ve expected. I didn’t really learn as much as I possibly would’ve about all the subjects they teach in school, but with all this new free time, I found myself wanting to learn things that interested me. I began to truly improve my life and the way I spend the time that I have. I don’t know if I would be where I am right now if it weren’t for all the free time that I had due to COVID.
What in the World…
I think the impact of COVID will last a lifetime. I believe that this has made a large impact all around the world on how we live, and how we cannot keep living like that. Many people all over the globe suffered through many different tragedies. If it wasn’t losing a loved one due to COVID, it could have been losing their job , their house, possibly everything for some. This is because no one was prepared for something like this to happen, but that will hopefully help us grow better in the future so maybe we can be so prepared that we can prevent the next outbreak.
From the perspective of someone who could not vote, watching the way people interacted through the election was something I would’ve thought of small children doing. The way people argued and used any means necessary to prove their points, and how many news outlets were found to be falsifying the information within their reports about the election, was something I had just never expected, and that’s on top of all the other wild things that have happened throughout the year. Even when the election finally came to a halt, and the winner was announced, the losers did not stop, they then began to spout lies as if the other team had cheated. This is behavior you see in small children, not full grown adults who are expected to be good examples for the children of the world.
One thing that I was very happy to see was the rise in stock of GameStop. Not because I’m a huge fan of GameStop, but because it showed people really working together to not only better themselves, but those around them as well. All due to a couple of “memes” online, and thousands not only helped a business thrive, but got to do some cashing in of their own. “The 26% rise can primarily be attributed to the broader rally seen in “meme” stocks,” is something I would have never expected to be a quote from an article, but we live in strange times.
Journey Toward Resilience
In the beginning of COVID, I didn’t do much except for play video games with friends, and watch movies. It was nice having some interactions with my buddies when we’d all get on to play a game together, but after a while I got sick of playing the same old games. I started to feel bored of everything I used to find fun, such as gaming with my friends, or watching movies. I wanted to do more with my day, I just didn’t know exactly what it was I wanted.
After a couple months I had begun to find more things I liked to do. A big one that I feel really expanded my knowledge was listening to podcasts. I feel it really began to broaden my knowledge in things I had never really taken time to think about, and it gave me inspiration to try things that these people said were very beneficial to them. It was because of the podcasts that I began to run and exercise everyday.
It was not an easy progression, but over several months I truly found joy in working hard. I didn’t feel bored anymore, I felt fulfilled. I felt that everyday was filled to the brim with everything I wanted to do, and more. I began to really enjoy the fact that I had all this free time, and really began to see major improvements in my overall quality of life. Not only was I much happier, but I was also much healthier.
What I’ve Learned and Will Remember
Overall I learned that having a purpose each day, and fulfilling that purpose, does truly make someone happier. For me my purpose each day was to work harder than the last and be better everyday, this has made my life much more meaningful. I do feel lucky to have discovered this passion I now have for exercise while in one of the worst crises I have ever lived through. I don’t take my days for granted anymore, I live every second of every minute of every day, and I live them to the fullest.
My Hopes for the Future
I do hope to see things get better. Now I don’t necessarily feel things will go completely back to normal, but I do believe that people have come together during these hard times in ways that were truly unexpected, and for that I have hope for our future and the society we live in. I want to see people wanting to do better, and try to succeed in life. I also want to have us as a society to come closer after these terrible times we have all gone through together, and be more open towards each other.