I find it quite ironic that back in early March, I would have given anything for just a couple days at home to myself, free of the day-to-day stress of schoolwork. Now that I have got the time, I do not really know what to do with myself.

Nowadays, I spend my days idly scribbling notes from my online classes and painting. On occasion, I will go on a hike, window-shop online, or call a friend. Currently, I am clacking away at my laptop writing this while listening to raindrops splashing on the concrete right outside my bedroom window.

As do many others, I miss the sense of normalcy of everyday life. I find myself longing for the things I once took for granted: going to school, getting to pick and choose between the tastiest snacks at a store or even just giving a friend a high-five.

I remember going to Trader Joe’s with my mom to buy food for a friend of ours who could not leave her home. There were markers outside the doors placed six feet apart, indicating where people were to stand before they were allowed inside. To minimize the number of people in one space, the number of customers in the store was closely regulated by employees. I also had to wear a mask and gloves, both of which felt incredibly stuffy after a mere five minutes. People inside carefully swerved around one another, distancing their carts and scrambling for the last of the turkey and eggs. I remember wondering if anyone could ever really get used to this sudden shift of public etiquette.

As a junior in high school, the fact that everything has been canceled hit me pretty hard. Now, I have to worry over the new AP test format, SAT dates, new college admission requirements, senior sports, subject testing, the list goes on and on. It’s pretty difficult to try and plan around everything, because counselors are spread thin over all the questions students have been throwing at them. It’s crazy, to say the least. And a lot of questions are lacking answers. Will I experience my first semester of senior year? What about a senior football season? Homecoming? This list goes pretty far. But even with the unpleasant plot twist of sorts that COVID-19 has brought with it, it is certainly a time we could all use to take a breather and reconsider what means the most to us.