Our world, as we know it, is a beautiful, wonderful place. Birds sing, and flowers dance in the summertime breeze. People chatter on park benches and in movie theaters. We party, sing and laugh with others. I do not think anyone saw what was coming.

Coronavirus hit us with a force as great as a hurricane. Slowly, it began eating up people around the globe, without us finding out for quite some time. Due to this terrifying spread, there had to be something done. What was decided changed our lives. Stores have been shut down, their lights flicked off. The streets are filled with only the spirits of people who wish they were outside. The wind blows, as it cries for attention. Corona has forced us to stay locked up in our homes, distanced from what lays beyond our walls. I thought it would be so easy to stay in my home all day long. But what I did not realize was that I was missing the best part of my life – socializing with those that I loved. I miss my best friends. I miss my aunt and uncle. I miss taking road trips to the beach, dipping my toes in the salty sea. I long to stay up late with my friends, talking, watching movies until 5 am. It hurts that I have to think twice before touching anything that comes in our home from the outside world. Clorox wipes are pulled out it feels as though every hour. Our hands are washed so desperately they become cracked, dry, and begin to peel. The lives we once lived have been turned upside down.

Though corona has created such an unforgiving environment for us all, it has brought some light into this darkness as well. It has allowed us to be closer with the ones closest to our hearts – our families. Never have I gotten such a large quantity of time handed to me, to spend with those who I cherish the most. Whether it is karaoke late at night, watching movies, or battling out board games, my family has removed quite a bit of the pain that I feel when I think of our current situation. We’ve gotten to go on beautiful walks in the hills behind our house, which we never would have had time for a year or two ago. Discovering new locations and taking in the resources that surround us is something I’ve gotten to do with my family, which has been so lovely. Once school started, it also gave us all a chance to function in the same household at once, seeing each other in between short breaks and eating lunch together.