By ABBY GROFF
Staff Writer
Last week, I turned seventeen years old. I already know that the older you get, the less exciting celebrating your birthday is. This year, though, was really unexpected for me as well as everyone else in the world. When this virus hit the United States hard in March, I felt horrible for my friends that were planning parties or get-togethers. Their schedules had to be scrapped. Personally, I didn’t think I’d have to deal with it. December was so far away from March. What could happen? Here we are, nine months later, with cases skyrocketing yet again. Not to mention, we are still stuck at home. While some small families are able to go out and make quick day-trips to the beach, some are unable to due to relatives with underlying health conditions. I’ve been trying to distance myself from my family all year, and it’s a pretty hard task. However, it’s for their safety.
On my birthday, I visited with my grandparents, my aunt, and the rest of my small household. I opened a present and ate some cake. This was the first year I wasn’t seeing any friends. It was definitely strange, but I was happy to have a couple relatives over and hear from my best friends on the phone. This birthday wasn’t necessarily bad, just uneventful. Now I understand exactly how a quarantine birthday goes. Maybe next year everyone will get to celebrate bigger and better parties than before, as long as it’s safe to do so. After such a boring 2020, I believe everyone will know not to take time with friends and family for granted.