The Importance of Others
An article from the Tribune about the importance of the people we hold dear in our lives
The pandemic has been a large influence on our lives for the past year, and not necessarily in a bad way. Maybe we took the time to focus on a goal and actually accomplish it for once. Maybe we actually took the right steps to conquer our New Year's resolutions. Or, we might have picked up a new hobby, and started something new in our routine. Whatever happened this year, I think we can agree on one thing. The pandemic has drawn us closer to the ones we love the most, the people right around us.
Let's be honest, the people we live around aren't perfect. So when they irritate us every so often, that's bound to happen with anyone. Some people are messy, others may seem far too organized. When it comes to our human relationships with each other, they are anything but perfect, but when we realize and look back, we may wonder what life would have been without that person. The thing is, nobody can survive alone. People aren't meant to be lonely, and that's why, as humans, we are drawn to make friends with others - even people who might be the definition of our polar opposite. Either way, the family and friends around us (however much they irritate us) have been ever closer to us during this pandemic. When we were practically shut in our homes with limited activity outside our homes, they were the ones who were still there. They were the ones we woke up to in the morning, to see their smiling face. They were the ones who called us to make sure that everything was okay. Not only that, but they were the ones who stopped by to visit us and see how we were doing. And, in essence, we helped each other through this thing, together.
This is why our relationships with others are so important. They give us something to think about. They help us try new things, even though they may seem hard. Furthermore, they are the ones, right close to us, helping us through the tough times that we face. And finally, they helped us through this year, and they will help us through the next year to come. So often we take our family, friends, and all who are close to us for granted... yet we persist, and they persist in the friendship that we started in the first place. Looking forward, may we never discontinue reaching out to others and try not to take each other for granted (however much we may irritate each other).
This article was originally featured in a 2021 issue of the Waukon High School Tribune which appeared in The Standard (a local newspaper serving the communities of Northeast Iowa, including my hometown, Waukon, Iowa).