One year later...

It is hard to believe that it has now been one year since COVID-19 arrived. Looking back on a year ago, some of the moments feel like just a few days or weeks ago, while some moments feel like years and years ago. So much has changed in life since last Spring. I am now married, my parents have moved, and my sister is now in college.

I can remember the first few weeks of locking down, not knowing what this virus was capable of, and no way of us knowing how to live with it or combat it at the time. COVID-19 is obviously still around and impacting people daily, but as the days go on, we are continuing to learn how to live with it and slowly but surely, getting back to normal life as we have learned to live with the virus. One year ago, there was so much fear here in the United States and around the world. Part of the fear that started in the United States, began when the first NBA game was canceled right before tip-off because a player tested positive for the virus. I remember them showing law enforcement come into the arena to make sure all of the fans left safely. The NBA then suspended their season because of the incoming pandemic, and no sports were played for months.

It wasn’t until later that we all realized that masks and social distancing were effective. It is so weird to look back at videos from over a year ago where no one is wearing masks and everyone is sitting and standing so close to each other, but we were all able to adjust. I remember when no one thought it was possible for sports to be played this past fall…people were talking about moving football to the spring, but through the hard work of so many individuals, we were able to have a full college football and NFL season. With the vaccines that are now readily available to most people, we are almost to the finish line one year later!