Tuesday, June 15, 2021 

Dear diary, 

As I sit here and reflect on everything that has happened in the past year, I am unsure of where to begin. Although a worldwide pandemic is never something that anyone would ever expect, I have to say that throughout this year, I have learned lessons that I will carry on for the rest of my life. 

It absolutely baffles me that exactly 15 months and 2 days ago, I was walking in the parking lot of Target after shopping for snacks with my mom after school, when my friend called me saying something along the lines of “Guess what? They just announced that school is being cancelled for the next two weeks! Do you want me to take the stuff out of your locker and bring it home for you to pick up?” At that moment, I remember feeling a plethora of emotions. I could not decide whether I was excited, surprised, scared, anxious, or all of the above. I then responded with, “You’re kidding.” 

To this day, I still cannot fully comprehend everything that has happened. In my mind, I still feel like a little freshman who was completely terrified of the upperclassmen and longed for the time when I would become one of them. Before I could even grasp everything that was going on, my life flashed before my eyes; now, I only have two more school days left until I am officially an incoming junior. 

Besides the fact that this surreal experience has warped my internal clock, it has also allowed me to step back and take a look at how I want to move forward with my life. First, it has taught me that surrounding yourself with people who bring out the best version of you is a lesson that is emphasized for a reason, as I feel that one’s friends greatly reflect who they are. That being said, I have also learned that putting out an excessive amount of effort and energy into one-sided relationships will most likely result in disappointment and regret. Despite this, it is important to remember that at the end of the day, everyone only has themselves. Therefore, striving to improve myself has become a huge priority in my life. 

Next, I have learned to never trade authenticity for approval. Over this past year, I have been more observant of people’s motives and characters, and have found that the people whom I admire the most manage to stay true to themselves and are simply genuine, even if they are extremely likable and get reminded of it everyday. Hence, I am inspired to follow their example and hopefully remind others along the way that everyone is more than enough by just being themselves. 

However, if I were to narrow it down to one single thing that this past year has taught me, it is to never EVER take time, experiences, or people for granted. Every single moment of our lives is something that we can learn from, even if it seems like time could not go by any slower. So here I am today, on June 15th, when the mask mandate is being lifted in California and the state is reopening, to tell you that the future holds greater things than you would expect. Be bright, be kind to your worst enemy, have faith in yourself, and most importantly, be grateful. 

Until next time, 

Me