Michael M., Kettering Fairmont High School
Friendship Survives even at a Distance
Gilbert Parker, a novelist and British politician once said, “Love knows not distance; it hath no continent; its eyes are for the stars” Fortunately for me I figured this out.
The Coronavirus, or Covid19, has affected us all in many different ways. Some have lost loved ones and others have lost their jobs. I cannot compare my summer and say that I am as unfortunate as them. My soul grieves for them. I may not have lost those things, but my summer did not go as I had previously planned. Last school year had been probably the best one I had participated in. I had not made many friends in my previous two years of middle school and this year changed that for the better. Last year I had decided to go out of my comfort zone and make more friends after I had had a really bad day. I succeeded in doing so and in-turn created by far my happiest year of school. I was never happier than when I went to school and saw my friends. It all took a massive detour when school was suspended for the first two weeks of the coronavirus.
My friends and I were all nervous about what was to come after this two-week suspension of school. It turned out to be far worse than we imagined. Months and months went by while we were kept in isolation. It made me very sad and isolated in my mind as well. I was expecting to hang out with my friends for the whole summer, but I was not completely disappointed. Although some of my friends hung out over the summer with caution, Covid19 forced me to create a virtual way of connecting with my friends. I would not despair over the fact that I couldn’t see my friends face to face. I would make the most of my summer no matter what was thrown at me. I tried to participate in any form of service that I could find whether it was baking cookies for a neighbor or weeding someone's yard. I texted my friends every day, l played video games with them, and I face timed them whenever it was possible. I was able to connect with my friends in a way I didn’t know was possible. I tried to find a way to keep my friends close even when they were so far away.
I realized that if I had made real friends then it would not matter whether there was a global pandemic or not. If we were true friends, which we were, then no matter the distance between us we would find a way to make our friendship work. The coronavirus has helped me see what I had previously taken for granted before. I will never forget that true friendship is the most valuable thing that a person can obtain in this life. Covid19 may have negatively affected all of us, but it can’t take away your friendships.
