On one March day, back in 2020, everything changed. Ever since the first lockdown in Ontario, many things have changed for many people, this includes losing jobs, doing school online, cancelling important events and many other things. Everyone was affected by COVID-19 in different ways. Here are some events that changed my life.
One thing that really impacted me was my first heartbreak. A month into lockdown, my boyfriend at the time broke up with me. It was already hard seeing him before COVID-19, but it was even worse after. This was definitely one of the hardest parts of my life. With having to be locked up in my house, it made it even harder to handle. One thing that got me through this was going out with my friends and living life to the fullest. I didn’t want to stay at home, sulking around all day. I learned that I am worth more than anything else and I don’t need someone in my life to make me happy.
It was my senior year when COVID-19 hit. What truly hit me the most was missing out on prom and graduation. After many years of hard work and dedication, it crushed my heart to find out this news. Dreaming about these events and always seeing them on TV made me sad to know that my hard work never paid off. I received my diploma from just a random secretary at my high school in an envelope. There were no congratulations, no ceremony, nothing. There was just a pathetic, small sign that said congratulations outside my high school. To this day, I still never got that validation of hard work and getting into university, not even from my family. I know one day that the hard work I’ve put in after all these years will reflect in my future and I don’t need a fancy ceremony to confirm that, even if it may seem rewarding.
Many of us changed our appearance during COVID-19. After that breakup, I lost a lot of weight. You’d be surprised how much weight a breakup can make you lose. I lost around six pounds, which may not seem like a lot to most people, but it was definitely a difference for me. A few months later, I dyed my hair blonde. Never did I imagine myself dying my hair blonde, but here I am now. In terms of makeup and clothes, I changed the way I did my makeup and even started changing my style. I took every opportunity to dress up and look good whenever I went out, sometimes even if it was just for a bag of milk. It was very out of character for me, since I’m usually a sweatpants and hoodie type of girl, but it boosted my confidence a lot more.
Negative things have happened throughout this pandemic, but there were a lot of positive outcomes as well. Funnily enough, I’ve never lived my life more than I did after COVID-19. One thing this pandemic has taught me is that life is too short to have any regrets. Life can change in the most unexpected ways and quite quickly too. I told myself that I will do as much as I can to make this pandemic as worth it as possible. These past two years have been the best years of my life. These events have made me the person I am today, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.