The World’s Stopped Spinning

It’s crazy to me how a week ago, the corona virus was nothing more than a joke to most people around here, especially people my age. Now, with each new day comes another plethora of cancellations and postponed events, and it really feels like the world, the world that never sleeps, has come grinding to a halt. From pretty much every major/college sport postponing(or flat out cancelling in the case of the XFL) their season, to the most magical place on Earth open 365 days a year closing through March at least, to the numerous live shows that now air audience-free, to Coachella being postponed to October, to the travel bans being implemented left and right, to Broadway’s theaters and any touring production being closed(the list goes on and on and on), a lot of things that just feel un-cancel-able have shown us just how serious this pandemic really is. I have a flight out of Belleville to Sanford, FL in two days, and being in an airport makes me a little bit nervous. However, I think some of the things I have seen in the general public panicking have shown that certain things are blown WAY out of proportion. For instance, fist fights breaking out over the last package of toilet paper in a store? Hand sanitizer prices shooting up to 30 bucks a bottle in some areas? The reaction from some people is flat-out ridiculous to me. I also think it’s interesting how we all feel so personally impacted by it now with our favorite things being taken away from us, but it’s important to recognize the privilege that most of us aren’t worried for our lives, which is the case for a lot of higher-risk groups worldwide. That being said, I do still worry about things like prom, graduation, and our band field trip to Florida being cancelled. There obviously could never be a “good” time for a pandemic, but it sure feels unfortunate to have one right around a time where my class hits a lot of milestones in our lives. An extended spring break sounds good in theory, but I don’t want to miss out on the last couple months of my high school experience. I’m anxious to know how this whole thing will continue to unfold.