In this article, I am going to say exactly what we are all thinking during this time. I miss it. I miss it all. I miss how it was before COVID and quarantine. The earth quaking sound of an electric guitar booming through speakers and shaking the ground that thousands of screaming fans dance. A thousand bodies all present for one incredulous moment. The rush of adrenaline at a basketball game when the underdogs are making a comeback with only one minute left to play on the clock, and when the final buzzer sounds followed by overwhelming praise from the crowd. I miss seeing a smile form on a stranger’s face only enough to pass as a polite pleasantry as you walk by them in a crowded hall. The silence of your favorite singer being swiftly replaced by the joyous chorus of a crowd singing in unison to their favorite tune after spending way too much money for one night out.
I miss feeling immersed in life, culture, music, and love without the fear of spreading a dangerous virus. How messed up is that? That we now feel guilty for enjoying the simplest of life’s little pleasures. We are all doing a good thing here by being careful and sacrificing things we enjoy to protect others, but it’s okay to feel upset. I for one am so pissed. I finally get to graduate high school and that turns virtual, I go to college and everything is online, and I feel like I should be licensed in sanitization and cleanliness strictly out of habit. So at this point, you are probably wondering if I am bringing this up to just rant and complain, or if I am bringing this up just to make people upset. Actually, I decided to write this article to reveal a silver lining. A silver lining that we can cling to in order to get us through this second wave of COVID cases.
It is the longing, the heartache, and the yearning for a past life that gives us something to look forward to. This pain makes us realize how precious and delicate life is. Without that appreciation for health and life, we forget why we are living in the first place. If there is no sorrow, then we wouldn’t know a good thing even if it hit us between the eyes.
During this time, I’ve noticed more of the simple joys we get on this earth rather than the big booms of happiness. The heartbeat behind kind words exchanged with a loved one, a fireplace crackling, the whispers of the wind blowing up snow like a dance, or even the laugh of a carefree child without the weight of the world on their little shoulders weighing them down. All of these bring joy unbeknownst to our mind at the time, but joy nevertheless. All we are is a life compiled of moments, little moments that in the end, define our existence. I don’t know about you guys, but I will not be chalked up to a global pandemic and a toxic political climate. The silver lining is that we decide what moments we breathe life into. Don’t put energy into the little fires that are constantly burning, but into the small miracles that flutter between the rubble. I miss it, but if I put my time into missing the past, I’ll end up missing the imperfect joy that is sitting right in front of me.