How we’ve grown in a year

At this time last year, the future was uncertain. Countries were closing, death tolls rising and near global panic ensued. At this time last year, my Spring Break trip to New York was canceled at the last minute. At this time last year, students were unable to return to school. 

As Spring Break begins, we can’t help but reflect on the growth we have made from March of last year to this day. 

No matter who you are, everyone has experienced what it was like to be stuck at home, quarantined from a deadly virus nobody knew much about. Widespread panic arose within our country as people scrambled to grocery stores for sanitizing supplies, food and toilet paper (the most important necessity). 

Last year was a challenge for all of us. Most of us didn’t expect to live through a global pandemic before ever holding hands with someone romantically. 

As the number of cases in our county increased, our morale slowly decreased. Nobody could see the end to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we wondered how we could recuperate from it. 

But from the cancellations of vacation plans and sports’ seasons, we persevered. We found ways to cope with being stuck at home. We followed TikTok trends, developed mild caffeine addictions, picked up new hobbies, got over that special someone and binge-watched our favorite shows. 

Through this pandemic, we’ve learned how to appreciate the simple things in life. Whether it’s seeing friends at school, going to the grocery store, washing our hands or most importantly, toilet paper. 

This year, we continue to struggle with following safety precautions, though some have become more lenient. With the mask mandate being lifted, we must remember to continue practicing social distancing and remain safe in all activities we partake in. 

As we learned more about the coronavirus, the vaccine made its way through to us, and as we transition to Spring Break this year, we have the comfort of knowing that things may be slowly going back to normal.