Student reflections on COVID-19

April 29, 2020... It was so hot out today, my body felt like it was burning because I haven't experienced heat like that since summer. Oh how I miss summer. I miss those long nights sitting around a campfire eating those gooey, but delicious s'mores. Having family and friends come over, barbecuing steaks for dinner. I told myself that those times will come again... once all this blows over.

Today, my mom and I went to get our favorite drinks at our local coffee shop - Chai tea with oats milk for me and for her, a peach smoothie. Then later that day, I went on a beautiful walk. I walked up this hill and started a fort, it overlooked the whole town,  making me feel like a fly in a world of horses. It was a feeling that I love to feel. A feeling that makes me feel at home.

As it started pouring rain, I started to go back home, but I love rain. I love the smell of fresh rain on dry pavement or when I can hear it hitting that dry dirt. Today was a good day and  we don't get those much anymore. 

 May 7th, 2020... Today was an extraordinary and incredible day. I got to not only get out of the house and go for an amazing walk to a beautiful river but I also got to see and hang out with my cousins. Since COVID-19 struck, we have all been trapped inside, wondering when this madness will end.

I walked to this amazing river, roaring in the forest as the trees sway from the light breeze. I could hear the water rushing, the mud flowing through the rushing water, hitting and smacking rocks laying in it. Seeing something so dangerous but yet so beautiful makes you feel helpless... powerless.

We drove home and once we arrived, I got to go babysit my cousins. They are crazy, yet I love them so much. We played football, ate pizza and had fun. After being cooped up for so long, enjoying quality time with family is what everyone needs. 

May 19th, 2020...Rainy, rainy weather... all day long. The sun finally popped its head out of the barrier put up by the clouds. Dark and grey, they coat the sky like a blanket. In a way, it brings comfort, just like the old blankets that my parents would tuck me into bed with. Finally, after seemingly sleeping all day, the sun finally came out... right before sunset too.

My boyfriend and I went for a drive, just as the sun started to lower. We drove and drove, ice cream in our hands and the windows rolled down. We went down a road in Seeley called Auggie-Morrell Cut Across to get high enough so the whole town was in view. This was a very special time to me because right now he doesn't have much energy and is still very fatigued from being sick, but any moment with him is a time well spent.

We sat on a rock that overlooked the town. Right there and then, I realized how beautiful our small town was. How lucky I am to live in a place so special. A place that I am proud to call my home. We picked some flowers, yellow and purple, the best color combination. They are beautiful... absolutely beautiful.

Editor's note: These are excerpts submitted from students' COVID-19 journals, a requirement in Lori Messenger's English class.