Reflections from a covid Kid 5 years later

The Coronavirus. A deadly disease that swept the world and changed the fabric of literally every person’s life for the better part of two years. Many lost loved ones and friends to the horrible pandemic. Still, aside from the direct effects of the sickness, there were also detrimental effects on society as a whole, especially on kids and teenagers. I was lucky not to lose anyone I loved due to Covid, but as I reflect on the pandemic five years after it first attacked the world, I realize the effect it had on me as a 16-year-old and how it held both blessings and curses.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in the midst of my Junior year of high school, and my friends and I were excited for an extended spring break due to the “cold” we heard was going around. Little did I know I would not step foot back into my school for over a year. Just like that, everything changed. We immediately quarantined, and life as we knew it was no more. It was not until months later that I would see my friends again, socially distanced, hollering at each other across parking lots. 

I was angry but for all the wrong reasons. I was so upset that my last two years of high school, the years I thought would be some of the best of my life, were ruined. I was selfish, and while I understood the bigger picture, that lives were at stake, I could not help but dwell on the fact that my peers and I were missing out on so much. Now, as I reflect on the pandemic, I can see both what it taught me and what it took from me as an individual.

Covid took away many important events, but looking past that, it had a deplorable effect on my mental health, like many others. I initially felt alone and took solace in my family and the idea that everyone was in the same boat. After the pandemic, it was harder to hone my social skills, especially when starting college. It had been so long since I was around new people or even in a group. I don’t think I was able to fully adjust until after my freshman year at JMU. Another detriment I experienced during the pandemic was school. I coasted my way through online classes, and once I got to JMU, I was behind the curve when it came to learning and studying because I basically finished high school when I was a Junior and didn’t pay school any mind until college. Many of my peers had the same experience. 

The biggest thing I learned from the pandemic is that family is everything. I am lucky enough to have a big and loving family, and while we don’t often see eye to eye on everything, being trapped in our home together for so many months allowed us to grow much closer than we ever would have been. We remain very close today, and without the pandemic, I don’t think we would have become nearly as close-knit as we are now. Another thing I learned is who I am (or at least a better understanding of it). Quarantining allowed me to step back from all the high school nonsense and think about what I wanted out of life once I could see people again. I reevaluated friendships and figured out what I thought I wanted in life without distractions. The pandemic took place at a pivotal age for me. During Covid, I decided where to go to college, took up new hobbies, and planned for my future. I also became a pretty good fisherman. 

The pandemic was a trying time for everyone. Though it is in the past, its effects still linger today. I am proud to be a Covid kid who, along with others my age, is about to graduate from college and enter the real world, being stronger because of it.