By Khalem Caldwell

Goodbye Quincy University. Goodbye Lacrosse Season. Goodbye friends, coaches and professors. Goodbye freshman year of college.

I onced wondered how my first year of college would end. I thought it would go out with a thunderous bang! I would see my teammates win their final game in the GLVC tournament. I would go to all my classes on the last day, sit down, and ace all my finals. The thing is, I would ace them, however, I wouldn’t need to ace my finals because the hard work I put in over the semester already guaranteed me a pleasant grade.

I would say thank you to my advisor and professors for taking me in with open arms during my first year of college. I would hang out in the dorms one last time with my friends, before my parents arrived and we moved me out.

I would also enjoy my last college party of my freshman year, too!

However, life tends to differ from the original plans you had.

Maybe, I wouldn’t ace all my finals, and I would only ace half of them. Maybe, my teammates went down swinging in the GLVC tournament. Or maybe, my parents wouldn’t come get me and I would have to take the train home.

NOPE!

Instead, a globally pandemic outbreak occurred which left me as well as others across America wondering about their NCAA eligibility status, how school would continue, and if local businesses are forced to close, how will they be compensated?

COVID-19 literally forced the whole world to stop and think. We’ve never encountered or experienced such a behavior as what the Coronavirus is causing.

Usual parents, adults, and health professionals encourage children to go outside, get fresh air, and engage in physical activity. They encourage us to go be social and get our daily dose of vitamin D. However, the tables have turned. For once in my life I’m being told that whatever I do, do not go outside.

This hinders my current lifestyle as well as many others. I usually workout 6 days a week. However, with every gym pretty much in America being shut down, I’m forced to convert to bodyweight strength training. I’m also a rather social individual who carves social encounters. With COVID-19 running wild, my in-person interactions are limited to none.

I’ve been reduced to playing video games, viewing social media content, and sleeping more than I should. However, I quickly found out this isn’t what I wanted to do.

Although freshman year has come to an unexpected halt, I shouldn’t complain or stay furious for too long. I realized it just wasn’t worth it. I found other ways to cope with the global pandemic taking place.

I started keeping a checklist of all the stuff I want to get done. I started learning about the stock market and how to invest. I started partaking in morning yoga and meditation, to better my body and mind. I also started doing more around the house since I’ve been gone for so long.

Freshman year is over, a pandemic is in the air, and this is our new lives for the time being.