I tried to hold it in, but a cough escaped my lips. A classmate joked, “Ha-ha, you have the coronavirus!” I rolled my eyes, but laughed along.
Back then, who would have thought there would be a day I wouldn’t be in the classroom, chatting with my friends? Now, I would give anything to be there. A few months ago, when my parents went shopping, I would follow them lazily, reading a book as they walked through aisles. Today, only my dad goes grocery shopping and the rest of us stay home. And people wear face masks and gloves when looking for food, which is sometimes hard to find.
Then and now. The significance hits me like a tidal wave coming toward the shore. If I could go back in time to the day before the lockdown, I’d spend every moment I could with my friends, knowing that soon we’d be chatting mostly on Google Hangouts.
Being quarantined sucks. It’s like buildings, friends, and family have all been locked inside a computer screen, and at first, it was cool, but now, it’s tiring, and I wish things could go back to normal.
The coronavirus used to be a vague, undefined crisis that we never thought would affect us, something that kids would joke about. Now, we have to stay in our houses, and not go out much.
When people are getting sick, and possibly dying, it’s so sad to think about. The pictures of doctors after a long day of work really show how serious and scary the virus is. This is also why I still look back to the past, wondering how we’ve come to this crazy time.
It’s hard not to look to the past and look at all the things we miss or things we are going to miss, like summer camps. But in the hardship the world is dealing with, there is always a peak on the mountain. My brother and I have bonded more because we have more time to play together and talk. Online school has made me more organized and more skilled with technology. I have more time to go for a run or ride my bike.
I even have more time to write. The pandemic has encouraged me to get out my journal and just let my writing flow. Writing is such a great way to express myself, the pen scratching the paper calms my cluttered brain down.
My brain has been more cluttered than ever. Sometimes I feel myself get so upset over the slightest thing. Being quarantined has made me miss school, friends, and just being able to go places even more than I ever thought I would. I’m an optimistic person, but now it’s hard to view the positive moments during such a sad time. During the coronavirus, I’ve learned to live by this quote. “Be strong now because things will get better. It might be stormy now but it can’t rain forever.”
This quote really means something to me because it reminds me to look for the sunshine in the storm, it reminds me to be strong, because it will get better.
The coronavirus is dangerous, but that doesn’t mean we have to cower in its presence. Don’t take things for granted. Be brave, because it can’t rain forever.