As the snow starts to come down and the holiday season is upon us, I’ve been increasingly thinking about the season and what I’m thankful for. It can be very routine for us to look back at the year in review and talk about what we did, what we are happy with, and what we want to improve in the future. This year though, I think it’s especially important considering the changes taking place this year, both in our world and in my own experiences. So I think we can all take this time as one especially to reflect, given all the uncertainty we have experienced.
I think we can all remember back to March 2020 as the time when things really started to change for many of us. I remember being sent home from college because of COVID-19, wondering how long this changed landscape might last and what was going to come of it. A pandemic seemed like a very surreal concept, not something I’d be experiencing myself. More than a year later, and with so much damage caused by the losses many of us have experienced, it can be tough to find any hope this situation will improve.
I know I’ve been lucky and grateful that people close to me have largely stayed healthy, and that the measures we have taken to be careful, though they have been exhausting at times, have been paying off. The fact we could have a relatively “normal” Thanksgiving dinner this year because of improvements that have been made in the situation like vaccines was very rewarding and made me hopeful things will continue to improve moving forward.
I am thankful even with all this uncertainty and change in the wider world, that I have still been lucky enough to have a college experience during this time filled with supportive friends and professors and staff who have made my time at St. John’s University a great one, and that we have supported each other through all of this. I was unsure at the start of last year how college would go with COVID and with the increasing prospect of deciding on next steps after graduation. But looking back, I’m thankful for all of the people I met or reconnected with and all the experiences I had in that time that helped me learn even more and be confident I’m on the right path for the future.
Although senior year now has been a challenging one at times with how busy everything is, this groundwork built up throughout the last few years has made what’s really important come into focus and helped me truly appreciate what is going well even when some days may be tough ones to get through. Whenever I’m having a day that feels overwhelming, I’m grateful I can lean on my friends and resources and that together we can tackle a problem or just have fun and enjoy life when we need a break. There are so many people from my time here at CSB/SJU I know I’ll enjoy being able to stay in contact with long after graduation.
Though this time has certainly been a stressful and challenging one in many ways, I think about how these kinds of experiences can be formative in the future. I hope in this holiday season we can all reflect on what has been hard and different this year, but then also what we’re looking forward to and what we’re thankful for. I wish us all a good holiday season and the holiday spirit of hope, renewal and reflection becomes a reality for us all as we move into the new year.
Connor Kockler is a student at St. John’s University. He enjoys writing, politics and news, among other interests.
