There is no secret that everything has been tough and confusing lately. At the beginning of this school year, I never would have thought that the world would be going through this and that I would be writing this. It is hard for many to wrap their heads around what has been going on.
The last declared pandemic was in 1918, it’s safe to say no one was prepared for the state we are currently in. At the beginning of this semester, things were going well for me. I had new classes and a much easier schedule compared to last semester’s. I was able to manage my classes while working two part-time jobs and running my online business. I was also in an online course for the first time.
I had no clue that soon, all of my classes would be completely online for the remainder of the semester, and that I would be out of both of those jobs. That’s the thing, you do not think that these events will impact you until they do. I remember that when this pandemic was first announced in China, it was only an issue for China. I would hear it on the TVs as I passed one of the dining areas on campus and could go about my day. I was concerned for those who were affected, but among those people were not me or anyone I knew. During that time I had no idea that I would be impacted, my schooling, my jobs, my family, my friends… I was not aware that any of these parts of my life were going to be impacted at all.
I am so blessed to be able to work from home on my social media business and that my part-time job from home welcomed me back with open arms, but sadly, others were not so lucky. So many individuals are out of work, hurting and confused because of this time. Others are making jokes and not taking things seriously. All I can say to describe this situation is that all of this is so confusing and a little insane. It feels surreal and it is hard to believe. It also saddens me that many people’s first reaction was to buy out supplies that others need to be able to function properly. Instead, we should have come closer as a community to help each other, and as there are those who want to help and who are helping, there are several individuals who remain selfish.
It also boggles my mind that people want to use this as an opportunity to rebel and not follow nationwide instructions. Many laugh at the idea of following health and safety guidelines and staying indoors. Not everyone has someone close to them that are of high risk, but it should be important that everyone think of everyone right now. Many people joked and called social distancing “ridiculous” but it isn’t to me. I have family members who are in the high-risk category, and among those loved ones is my boyfriend. With having Type 1 diabetes, he is susceptible. If anything happened to him, I would not know what to do. So no, this is not a joke or any laughing matter to me.
Governor Tom Wolf has also issued a “stay at home” order because the risk is growing and more people are becoming infected. This is a trying time, as we are facing something that we have not seen before and going through things that we are not used to. My hope is that we can come together and build community by being there for one another, whether that be lending someone a loaf of bread or exchanging kind words. If you are not following orders for yourself, please do so for someone else. That someone else means the world to another person.
HXCO, Kasidy