Pandemics are inconvenient.

  My sister has moved back into my room since her college went virtual for the rest of the semester. My dad’s office has closed, so he has moved back in full time instead of living in Maryland during the work week. My workplace has shut down indefinitely, my school is online, and I can’t leave the house.

  Am I going slightly insane? That would be an understatement. All I do is submit bare-minimum work, deep clean my room, and sleep. 

  One thing that I’ve thought about a lot is the unfairness of it all. Because of some people who refused to quarantine themselves and continued to travel, the whole world is on lockdown. And it could not be happening at a worse time for me.

  It’s my senior year- the year I’ve waited for for the last 10 years. Not only that, but it’s the second semester, which is supposed to be the most fun 4 months of all of high school. I am not having any fun.

  I’m wondering if senior trip will be cancelled, if we will have senior prom, if we will even go back to school. Will I have to attend my graduation ceremony via Skype? 

  There’s so much uncertainty and fear. But more than anything, there’s selfishness. For some reason, people feel like they are entitled to so much, that the world owes them something. I’m as upset as anyone that we are missing out on all of the fun parts of senior year. I have been looking forward to Disney for the last four years and I already bought a prom dress. This isn’t how I thought the year would go at all. But I just can’t stand to listen to constant complaining about things we can’t control. 

  In Italy, no one can leave their house. Somewhere, someone has had to cancel their wedding because all of their loved ones are under quarantine. Some college students’ schooling is over now without any warning; they have no jobs or housing set up. People are out of work. People are dying.

  It’s amusing how no one cared about the virus until it directly affected them or people like them. When it was in China, it was a joke. When it spread to Italy, it was disheartening. When it arrived in America, it was horrifying and debilitating . 

  We have all already had four homecomings, a cotillion, and a prom. Most of us have already been to Disney World. I’ve had more than enough late night drives, sports games, and dinners with friends; I got more than most. Senior year is not the end all, be all. 

  A virus has no feelings. A virus does not discriminate or hesitate. It does not care about your economic or social standing, your career, your family life, or your plans. A virus will wreck my senior year like it has wrecked family vacations like it has wrecked career opportunities like it has wrecked beautiful experiences like it has wrecked entire lives. 

  This, like everything, will pass. It will destroy most things in its path, but, nevertheless, it will pass. Life is large and forgiving, so I think we can find space to be forgiving, too.