Hope and Despair Amidst the Pandemic

By Maxine, age 12

When school was canceled, I was ecstatic! I thought that it was just going to be a month. It’s been two years, and I’m going into high school later this year. 

As time flew by, I started to feel lonely. I hadn’t gone out in months, and I still haven’t gone back to in-person school, which I definitely took for granted. Even if I get the chance to go out now since things have eased down, I have this surge of uneasiness about doing stuff I could normally do before. The pandemic has definitely increased my introversion a lot. I find myself not talking to people as often as I did, and I’ve gotten so used to that feeling of loneliness that it’s become so ordinary for me. 

I took so many things for granted before all this. But, now, these little things have given me a sense of hope that someday, everything will go back to normal. 

Even with this negativity that I’ve felt during the pandemic, I still try to find ways to keep myself sane. Books, music, and texting my best friend nearly every day all take me away from the despair of this pandemic. I took so many things for granted before all this. But, now, these little things have given me a sense of hope that someday, everything will go back to normal.