Lock the doors,
Don’t step outside
Danger lurks
Yet can’t be seen by the naked eye,
Wash your hands,
20 seconds please,
Otherwise, your whole family will catch the disease.
Work from home,
Stay away from school,
Don’t meet your friends,
Try to stay alone,
The streets are empty,
The shops are closed,
Welcome to virtual reality,
The COVID zone.
It’s been a year since calamity struck, and stripped the world of something known as physical socialization. It’s been so long since I’ve sat down with my friends, without a mask, without the fear of Covid-19 infecting me and infecting my family. It’s been a year.
I remember like it was yesterday. I was on my way to Newcastle, and spent my time on the train thinking about the infinite possibilities the summer would bring. I’m a planner and I love to plan ahead of time and this case, I had three months. I thought about getting a job, travelling around and gaining an experience of a lifetime. Alas, little did I know that one bat, one man and a bad decision could change the world. However, to be fair, at least I gained an experience of a lifetime.
However, it was the year of tragedy. Mental health illnesses became more dominant in society, domestic abuse numbers grew larger, crime rates in some countries increased, the economy collapsed, and people were left jobless and hungry.
Personally, COVID-19 brought about so much sadness for me, for my family and for most of the world. People I knew, and those I didn’t, passed away grasping for their last breath, unable to meet their families at the end. Today, is the anniversary marking the world’s lockdown, but it also reminds us of the things that really matter, the things we took for granted. It brought about infinite realizations that we would never have, if it wasn’t for the lockdown.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean this was a good thing, of course not. I mean that we should all try to find some light in this era of infinite darkness. Hence, take a moment of silence but then think about any blessing, even if it’s small, that you had this year. Life is short. Reflect on the good, not the bad.
Stay safe.
