2021 was, to say the least, a hectic year.

I used to read my U.S. History book and think, Wow, life back then was crazy!

Now, I imagine our era in a future U.S. History textbook, and my previous opinion has changed; in these past two years we have encountered wild politics, increased division amongst the American people leading to riots and protests, changes in our government, and, like a rotten cherry on top, we are still in the middle of a rampaging pandemic.

Looking back at 2021 and our current life, we might even say we are in a story…

Stephen King fans state that the COVID-19 pandemic has left them feeling as if they are living in one of his horror novels. To be more specific, many say that they are stuck in King’s 1978 The Stand. Whether you have read King’s novel or not, you might feel the same way. In The Stand, King writes about a viral pandemic, caused by pathogen Captain Tripps, which decimates the world’s population.

Sure enough, we are battling a virus just as the characters in King’s novel. With the start of the new year, COVID-19 cases have once again been spiking, and scientists expect Omicron cases to peak by mid-January.

With different mutants of COVID-19 coming out every so often (just like the mutating Captain Tripps), some may be left feeling hopeless–like doomed characters in a terrifying plot.

Except–we aren’t.

With the start of a new year, we have hope. If we can all be responsible together and work to prevent and stop the spread of COVID-19, we can move on from this pandemic and continue our lives. Afterall, although it may feel like a horror story, we are all the authors of our own lives, and we are writing our own stories. More importantly, we are all characters of a larger story that includes everyone.

Once we work together to move past this pandemic, we can turn the page and move on to a brighter, better, story.