The normal. It's something not most people think about in their day-to-day lives; it is why they get up and immediately brush their teeth or why they run a brush through their hair. Though everyone's normal is different, having normalcy in our lives keeps us going, and having a feeling of control is essential to us as humans. Yet suddenly, everyone's normal changed, and the whole world had one new normal, Coronavirus.

I remember the day my high school shut down; I was sitting in English 1102, Georgia Military College would come to my high school, and my professor was talking about how Coronavirus had just hit the U.S.A. We all were talking about it and wondering if we would shut down, and honestly, we were all hoping to shut down. Finally, the intercom buzzed, and everyone was to find rides, and the buses were coming. I ran to my mom's room thinking, "Schools out. An early summer. Yay!" Little did we all know how bad it would get and how hard it would be for some of us.

After months of isolation, it became too much for so many people, especially me. Being cut off from society for so long destroyed my mental health, and I started struggling with depression, and my anxiety worsened. Learning how to be okay without going out into the world and talking to people that weren't my parents was hard, but having to finish high school and college online was worse. I had my high school pre-calculus online, and I learned nothing. When we eventually went back to school in August 2020, I struggled in college algebra because some fundamentals were in that pre-calculus class. By January 2021, we were doing a hybrid schedule, A-K Monday and Wednesday L-Z Tuesday and Friday, at my high school because the case number was rising. Back to online for the most part, but it wasn't as stressful this time only because I had four classes and only two classes had assignments on the off days. School honestly wasn't bad; I had classes with my friends, and the workload was manageable. I had two online courses at Middle Georgia that fall semester but could go to Middle Georgia for one in-person class that spring semester. Life felt normal, or as normal as it could under the circumstances.

I play soccer and flag football at my high school. We started the flag football team that summer after Coronavirus hit. Yes, a team formed out of a pandemic. It was almost poetic. We went as far as the elite eight and were beaten. But, it was a great season looking back. We finished a season with no quarantines or canceling of games. I finished the season with no Coronavirus, which was the better accomplishment. As for flag football this year, we finished as state champions, and oh, did it feel good. Coronavirus did not affect our season, except maybe the other teams never provided water. As for soccer, I've played since my freshman year, and I'm a senior now, but at the time, I was a sophomore, and our season got cut short. I was so heartbroken. To have the sport I love taken from me so soon, and in a winning season at that, was devastating. Suddenly the realization of how tight Coronavirus had us in its grasp was clear; it was here to stay.

Fast forward to now; at this very moment, I am struggling with COVID-induced asthma. I had COVID the third week of January and quarantined for eight days. Those eight days were the worst days of my life. I had every symptom imagined. I still have a headache, and it could last months, even years. Now I can't even walk from the library on campus to your class without using my rescue inhaler. I'm not allowed to work out or practice for two weeks to see if my inhalers help relieve my asthma; there's a chance it could be permanent. I had it bad, but I've known others to have it worse. I have lost a few people to COVID, and it's a terrifying feeling to lose someone to something that no one took seriously initially. It makes you wonder if we as people or even a country had taken it seriously if we could have saved lives. The things we wish were still here in our day-to-day lives are now replaced with masks and social distancing...the new normal.