Emma Scott
Written 4/22
I jumped up and down in the Help Desk office when the announcement was made that school was cancelled for two weeks. In the classroom across the hall students cheered and celebrated. It was going to be a much needed “break” – or so everyone thought. March is one of the most notorious months of the school year in terms of difficulty. It’s been too long since winter break and it is not close enough to Spring Break. No one would ever think that they would miss school in the middle of March.
During a moment of self-pity for the untimely end to the 2019-2020 school year, I came across some quotes about the stars and darkness. I realized just how applicable the daily cycle of astronomy is to the world’s current situation. People began to miss the small things they “hated” or never even noticed. Unfortunately, it took a global pandemic for society to recognize the importance of the people we interact with every day.
It takes tragedy for us to see the things that have been there all along – the things that you could miss if you don’t look up every once in a while. School and work unknowingly consume us all, separating us from meaningful relationships with family and friends. Without the distractions and daily activities, it can be difficult to adjust to something, or anything, else.
I miss the 4 minutes in the hallway in between classes – even if I didn’t think it was enough time. I miss cafeteria brownies – even if it might actually be chocolate cake. I miss the daily rides on the activity bus to NASH – even if sometimes there weren’t enough seats for me to sit with a friend.
I will miss NAI, certainly, but we must maintain a more comprehensive perspective. I will put my education and social life on hold for the safety and well-being of strangers. Because we are all in this together. Because it is much bigger than me. For these reasons I make an effort to silence my complaints about staying at home. My “problems” are nothing compared to the daily struggle of doctors, nurses, and other essential workers who work tirelessly to keep the world spinning.
During the final week before school was cancelled, students debated how long school would be cancelled for – if at all. Today, the thought of going back to school in the fall on time is unsure. But we do not take these precautions in vain. It is difficult to continue to live life from afar, especially when it seems the night will never turn to day.
All of the small, seemingly meaningless things, like cafeteria brownies, come together to form the constellations – the intricate structure of life. These individual elements, all together, make up the great and beautiful sky of our lives, and it only took the darkest tragedy we could imagine to see what had been there all along.