Editorial:

365 days later: it hasn’t been all bad

It’s hard to believe that a year ago this week, we went into lockdown. This time last year, many of us were wondering what the rest of our school year was going to look like, stressing about when our next paycheck would be coming, or making moves to get back to our parents’ houses.

The world has changed a lot since then. Now, we’re all seasoned vets of Zoomniversity — whether we like it or not — and have learned, as best as we can, how to manage life as students in isolation. We also probably all have a favourite mask, even though this time last year we didn’t know where to buy one.

And even in the darkest of days, when our city was the epicentre of the virus in Canada, Montreal showed its true colours; parks full (granted, maybe a little too full) of people enjoying the summer sunshine, mask-wearing crowds collectively admiring

a whale that somehow made its way into our waters, a COVID-friendly version of MURAL Festival, and paper rainbows in So. Many. Windows.

For some of us, isolation has allowed us to become closer with roommates, to speak to our friends and family more often (even if it is through the screens of our devices), or to have some much-needed downtime. Maybe you used the summer off as an opportunity to get into nature, or the winter as an excuse to pick up that hobby you’ve always been interested in. Maybe you even joined TikTok, and subsequently started parting your hair in the middle (sorry Gen Z, I’m doing my best!)

It’s safe to say that it hasn’t been a walk in the park for everyone, and it can be hard to celebrate even life’s small victories while so much is going wrong in the world.

However, we can all agree that there are some positive aspects to this new world we’re living in. We’ve all been handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to slow life down, and take in our surroundings — whatever they may be. Whether that means you get outside more than you used to, that you’ve turned your apartment into that of your dreams, or that you’re the best Catan player in the greater Montreal area, that’s a plus.

So, as the snow melts, and the Tam-Tams start tapping once again, let’s keep in mind that it’s not all bad. We have time on our hands, a beautiful city, and ultimately, we have each other. Ça va bien aller.

This is The Concordian.

VOLUME 38 ISSUE 12 DATE MARCH 16 2021