Dear Sam,

Hey man, how have you been? As of now, I’m hoping that things will be a little different in ten years; after all, that is a lot of time for change. If things have gone back to normal, which I think they I will, I want you to look back on your junior year of high school. If you’ve forgotten about it at this point, then please let me remind you of this harsh time. I am not simply writing to invite you to reflect on the pain that the virus brought to you, your friends, and family members, but I am writing to remind you that you are now a part of history. Our experience will be one for the history books, which is weird to think about. Right now it’s looking like the majority of summer will be spent indoors, but we have to do what we have to do to stop the virus from spreading anymore than it already has. In case you’ve forgotten about this extremely boring, monotonous schedule of staying indoors, we can walk through it together as a refresher for me, as well.

School Days:
I wake up around the same time for any typical school day. Online classes consist of typical worksheets and even online meetings. I found these meetings very difficult to adjust to at first; however, now they have basically become normal. We ended up taking Fridays off during the week to serve as a “work day.” I am sure the the whole of St. X just takes it as an addition to the weekend. All school sports, along with club, have been cancelled. I was lucky enough to finish our soccer season before the virus put us out of school.

Weekends:
The weekends are possibly the most contrasting aspect of my new life. Previously accustomed to hanging out with friends 24/7, I am now forced to stay indoors with the occasional walk or run. Hanging with friends has been limited to a strict minimum. The phrase, “6 feet apart at all times” is seemingly omnipresent; it now rolls off the tongue as easy as anything else.

Thanks for reading the letter. We’re all struggling now, but I can’t wait to get out of this pickle as soon as possible. Please don’t forget what you were a part of. After all, you will need stories to tell your kids and grandkids. Why not start here?

Much love brotha,

Past Self