Who could have predicted it? No one is the answer. It’s been eleven weeks and five days from this moment since schools closed. The weeks kept rising until our sports were cancelled, our schools cancelled, and our normal lives put on hold. I needed the break, I think we all did, school was getting to me but pushing forward and embracing a challenge is how I like to view it. Although, the school system chose to cower.

The month of March, it took weeks for the school system to come up with a plan for distant learning. I was getting sick of relaxing, I needed something to keep me thinking, keep me pushing. Once distant learning came into play it was exactly how I imagined it to be, teachers pumping out worksheets like clockwork, and a halt to tests/quizzes. I retained very little information from this distant learning with the zero human connection I was getting and the lack of morale. This was school, without the benefits of school.

The month of April, almost feels like it never happened. All I can remember was doing worksheets for a class I was soon not going to try in because of the before closure grading system. Once in a while accidentally running into my friends while on runs. I had to accept the outcome of the government quarantine, and understand I was not ever going to see my friends again until next fall. Life seemed dim, I lost friends, I lost people close to me. It felt unrecoverable, the only morale boost I ever had was running, that was taken due to injuries causing me to fall into a slump. It was hopeless, I was done, I wanted it to end.

The month of May, with every slump, there’s a comeback. There is no comeback like the month of May for me. I was sick of tired of being sick and tired, so I mustered my strength, and decided not to cower anymore. I whipped my life back into shape, started hangouts with my friends, cross trained and healed so I could run again. I brought up my grades which I couldn’t believe was possible. I saw the world in a positive way once May happened. I started a weekly run routine with my friends Dezi and Ian. Even with our season over, we still saw the joy of running and coming together. May was the inspiring month I needed to overcome the challenges of quarantine.

The month of June, whats next? The month of May was amazing and I hope June can be just as good. School is ending soon, my coach is planning a running club not associated with FVHS, my friends now more anxious than ever to hang out. Once school ends, I am going to get a job, I am going to run my heart out with my friends, and never take school for granted. This was a challenge I don’t believe we will ever face again, I am waiting for the next challenge in our lives, and I will be ready.