Dear COVID-19,
My initial knee-jerk reaction would be just to say “screw you” and leave it at that. However, that wouldn’t make for anything interesting to read, so I’ve got some stuff to say.
COVID-19, you are wreaking havoc on the world in a way no one could have imagined. Your very existence has disrupted some of the most important moments in many people’s lives: weddings, graduations, proms, etc. And that sucks. Not only that, but you’re taking away countless lives across the globe and, as of right now, there’s nothing we can do about it. Humans are generally considered to be the most intelligent and advanced species on Earth, but you have been challenging that thought. Many people continue to risk their lives and the lives of others by not taking the necessary precautions to stop the spread of you, and the rest just have to sit at home and watch others continue to make the problem worse.
However, as you get more serious, I like to think that we are adapting to you. As you get closer to home, I think we are starting to realize that you’re not planning on going away anytime soon. We are realizing that we need to do our part in making sure that you don’t disrupt our lives even more than you already have and avoid a long-lasting impact. ‘Cause we have shit to do. We still have the rest of our lives ahead of us, and even though you’ve created some seriously unexpected obstacles, I don’t think we plan on just letting you beat us.
As for me personally, I don’t really know how to put my emotions into words properly. I just really miss my friends. Like, a lot. It physically hurts to think about it for too long because I would give anything to be with them again right now. To listen to stupid music, to complain about waking up for 8 am classes, to eat crappy macaroni and cheese at the dining halls. Moving out of my small little dorm room nearly two months early was surprisingly one of the saddest things I’ve had to do. Each time I packed something away it felt like I was packing a little memory along with it: memories that wouldn’t be able to continue. I miss my roommate, I miss having an actual teacher, I miss the city. I just miss everything. I am eternally grateful, though, that I am healthy and have my family to keep me company. I think the only thing that could make all of this craziness worse would be going through it alone.
All I can really say now, COVID-19, is that I hope you bring about better days. I hope that we all learn from the chaos you’ve brought us. I hope we all make the choice to do the right thing from now on and understand how important it is for us to be resilient. I am hopeful for the future beyond you, and I hope others are too.
But seriously, screw you.
Sincerely,
Izzy