Enjoy the little things in life

Edmone Schollij Most of us felt that 2020 was going to be our year and we were excited for the new memories. When the clock read 00:00 on New Year’s Eve, we celebrated and felt at ease with the thought of another year. Slowly, life got a little more complicated and the things we never truly appreciated were taken away from us. We still had hope left and we were gripping tight, making sure it won't slip away. But sadly, a pandemic isn't something a regular person can take away, especially not a teenager in high school. We were introduced to Zoom and Edmodo, trying to imagine it was going to be the same as being in class. This was an obstacle we had to face, to rise above and just to make it work. It wasn't easy and to stay motivated was really hard, especially sitting in front of a laptop all day doing assignments. Your mind gets overwhelmed with questions of "is this going to be life from now on?" I believe Covid-19 truly made us realise how we have taken things for granted and never imagined a day it wouldn't be like that. Seeing your friends at school and making memories and even experiencing those laid-back fun lessons with your teachers wasn't something we thought we could ever lose. It might seem that everything about Covid is negative and has negative effects, but believe it or not, not everything about this virus is bad. The virus has changed our lives majorly. The world has been turned upside down. Thanks to corona, the world is facing major economic predicaments, masses of people have lost their jobs, are no longer able to provide for their families and so the list goes on, but we can’t only focus on the bad.As mentioned in a previous article from the BMJ, “doctors and researchers are noticing some curious and unexpectedly positive side effects of the abrupt shifts in human behaviour in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic”. We all have been so caught up in our own lives that we lost real and genuine bonds and relationships that we had with others. Quite often we get too busy living life and have no time to put aside for our families and friends. We now have more than enough time to catch up with old friends via our social media platforms. You might not be able to have family vacations or outings, but can instead spend time together at home safely. Now is the time to do the things you never had time for! Everyone’s lifestyle has changed to practice better hygiene. People are now aware of how important it is to keep yourself clean. We’ll remember to cover our mouths when sneezing or coughing, to sanitise our hands after touching something because we know what can happen if we don’t. Research shows that skies are bluer due to less cars on the roads as well as the reduced use of factories. Fewer car crashes have been reported and some other infectious diseases are fading away. In many communities, people have come together to support and help each other. This is something that we’re not used to seeing. Communities have grown a stronger bond. The health of others and ourselves has now become our first priority. Funds have been opened to pay for infected people who can’t afford treatment. Various charity projects have begun. I think that something we have all realised during this pandemic is that we’ll always need each other.Always be grateful for the little things and the free pleasures of life such as going for a walk on the beach with family and friends or simply just being healthy. You never know when it can be taken away from you. There are things that will get you down, but don’t let the bad overshadow the good.

Enjoy the little things in life

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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Enjoy the little things in life

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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