I originally was going to write this as a letter to my former self, filled with forewarnings of what’s to come. I was going to tell myself to enjoy every bit of my life then, because it is going to change in a way I would’ve never expected. I was planning on warning myself about taking moments for granted, because there will be moments taken from you that you never knew you appreciated. But I’m not. I’ve learned quickly that in a time of crisis and sudden change, there is no time to pity your situation, and regret what you did leading up to it. All you can do is adapt, and control what you can in an attempt to return to normalcy. So I scrapped that idea, and instead decided to write to the future me, because when you look towards the future, there’s hope. And, in a time like this, hope can make all the difference.

To my future, post COVID-19 self,

You made it. After weeks of online schooling and quarantine, life’s finally returned to normal. I’m sure you’ve had doubts this day would ever come, and I don’t blame you. I’m having my doubts right now, wondering if you’ll ever live to see this day. But you did, so congrats. It wasn’t easy though. You had to make a lot of sacrifices. Sacrifices aren’t easy, especially when the benefits of these sacrifices aren’t instantaneous. In fact, these sacrifices made your life a lot harder in the moment. Obviously you wouldn’t have wished these circumstances upon yourself, but you grew from it. You learned, and you are a better person from it. That is a skill you will keep with you the rest of your life, the ability to find good in not-so-good situations. You see, the sooner you found out you couldn’t change the situation you were in, the sooner you could change your attitude towards the situation, and that made all the difference.

Through all of this trouble, I hope you gained a greater appreciation for your own life. I hope you realize how lucky you are to have a place to go to school, and the opportunity to play sports. I hope you never wish away a class period again. I hope you never dread a Monday lunch, or an 80 minute block of math. I hope you appreciate the blessing that is going to school with students and teachers who care about you. As cheesy as it sounds, seeing the “Ramily” everyday is something most kids don’t get to experience. To sum it up, I hope you never take another moment for granted. Now I know that’s an unrealistic request, but it’s certainly a worthy goal. Remember all these things you love now, and how quickly they were taken away because of a virus. What’s stopping those blessings from being stripped from you again? So appreciate them while you have them, because you never know when they could be gone for good.

In conclusion, I hope you learned a lot from this virus, and I hope you enjoy what you’ve been blessed with as you move forward.

Ryan Kirkendall