Someone once said, “You never know what you have until it’s gone.” And man, is that true, especially at these unprecedented times. Just weeks ago, we were all living life, doing our normal day to day activities such as going to school or work, eating out, hanging with friends and family, playing or watching sports, and running errands. Now, however, we are being advised to stay inside our homes and only leave for essential reasons, like getting groceries or working essential jobs. People now have so much time on their hands. I’ll admit it: quarantine is not the most exciting thing in the world. Although it can get boring at times, quarantine has given me plenty of extra time to think (and also to watch many, many hours of YouTube and Criminal Minds). This whole situation has made me realize that we as people should be more grateful for the opportunities and capabilities that we have. Before this quarantine, you could pretty much do anything you wanted as long as it was legal. You could go anywhere, at any time, for any reason at all. The possibilities were endless. Sadly, all that freedom can now seem like a distant memory. But, like I mentioned before, I have been doing some thinking. We need to learn to not take things for granted because they won’t always be there.

For me personally, adjusting to online school has been rough. Because I am stuck at home, I have not seen my friends in a long time. Yes, I’ve talked to them, but I miss them so much. They are what make school enjoyable. And, as much as I used to dislike going to school and doing assignments all day, I miss school. Yes, you read that right. I miss it. I miss seeing my friends and teachers everyday and learning in a productive work environment. I miss being able to ask teachers questions anytime and goofing off with my classmates. Now that I do not have the ability to go to school and experience those things, I feel like I am missing something. Not going to school has made me realize that the people are what make the school special. In the future, when we return to school (whenever that may be), you can bet that I will enjoy having that opportunity to be in a school environment once again. This is not only about me, though. All students and teachers need to realize that we have so many great opportunities presented to us at school, and we should not take them for granted. We are getting a quality education but most of the time we do not think of it that way. Most people think of school as boring and maybe even useless. However, this is not the case as school is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. School is a place to learn and grow as a person. I miss going to school, and I’m sure others feel the same. We should take advantage of the time we spend at school as it will change us for the better. In fact, we need to be thankful for our education. Yes, there will be days when everything sucks and school feels like the worst place to be, but the good days far outweigh the bad. Take advantage of the opportunities you have at school because you will not always be able to go.

Another thing that we should not take for granted is our freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want. Before quarantine, I was able to play sports, hang with friends, and eat out with my family. I miss being able to do these things. These everyday activities were something that I never thought much of because it seemed I would always have access to them. I never thought that I would be stuck at my house with hours upon hours of time and not be able to leave unless I had an essential reason. I now cherish any time I can get outside as I miss the fresh air. I miss being able to go places and do fun activities such as shopping or going to the movies. Anyway, with all this time on my hands, I realize that I need to take advantage of any opportunity to go out with friends or go places in general. They will not always be there, so I need to not think that they will and take them for granted. In fact, everyone should start to think this way. Take advantage of the times you can go out and do exciting activities. Be thankful we can do these kinds of things any time we want (not now obviously but you know what I mean). When our situation goes back to normal, try to remember what it felt like to not be able to go places. That will help us realize that everything is temporary, and we should make the most of these opportunities to go out. Enjoy them while they last!

I miss doing a lot of things I used to do everyday a few weeks ago. But, we can’t change what happened. All we can do is try to make the most of our situation. Whenever things go back to normal, enjoy the opportunities presented to you. Do not let the current circumstances of life get you down. Let it be a lesson that teaches us to be thankful for what we have. Let it be a chance to realize that we take way too many things for granted. Remember, everything is temporary. Enjoy what you have for as long as you can, and you won’t be disappointed with the results.