Stories Focussed On Spider-Man

(not a 1shot) The Things I've Learned

A/N I have to write 3 essays for my AP Physics class summer assignment. All three are probably gonna make it up here, but I'll take down the other two when I turn them in. This one, however, I think is probably going to stay up because it covers what my quarantine experience has been like and I really think some people can benefit from the lessons I put in it, but it is written as if Mr. Tronc is the reader. If you spot typos, please point them out so that I can fix them before I turn it in, thanks!

Most people my age tend to freak out the moment Coronavirus is mentioned in a conversation. It's a topic of stress and fear and it feels so hopeless because "How do you fight a virus that comes with so many unknowns?" is the thought running around in most of the youth's brains. At least, that's how a lot of my secular friends made it seem the last time I saw them. A friend of mine had to step out of my Biology class when Mr. Worthington brought up the topic and the precautions we needed to start taking. She was filled with so much panic, so much anxiety. The funny thing is? Covid-19 never actually scared me. It was a real eye opening experience to watch as my peers stressed over something that seemed just so minuscule in my perspective. I mean, yeah, I started wearing a mask halfway through summer vacation when in public - mostly because it was required - and I definitely did not lick any shoppy carts, which the head pastor at my church warned the congregation not to do. But, the topic never really made me nervous, not even when I got sick and had to take the test, waiting a couple of days for the results to say what I was sure of, I was Covid free, despite having most of the symptoms. Honestly, it felt more annoying than anything. I had been cooped up in my bedroom for several days and had to wear my mask just to use the bathroom because my dad has asthma and, on the off chance he did have it, no one wanted to risk him getting infected. So, when I sit down and think about the stark difference between my perspective and what I've seen of an average teenager's response to the pandemic, I really understood how an outsider views me as set apart.

Now, I'm not sure if you're an atheist or a Christian or a Catholic or if you've even identified where you fall on the spectrum of different worldviews, seeing as I haven't had you as a teacher before, but I know that I'm a Pentecostal Christian. I not only believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior, I speak in tongues via the Holy Spirit and have witness miracles. So, whatever skepticism you may or may not posess, I'm gonna ask you to can it for the next several hundred words while I talk about how God has moved in my life and in the lives of others during quarantine. Thanks, sometimes people act all weird when I talk about this stuff, but I trust that, as a teacher, you will handle it maturely.

First things first, quarantine was a difficult thing for most Christians. Suddenly, all of our churches were closed and we couldn't congregate in the presence of God together for over six weeks. It was insane. In that time, we had to depend on independent devotions and youtube videos that our pastors put out (or, if you were a PK like me, create videos to put out). It really tested the strength of our relationship and love of God. A lot of people put their relationship with God on pause. And, while I did not drop everything, I feel like I could've done better. As a PK (Pastor's Kid) I end up at nearly every church event, whether I'm setting up, tearing down, actually participating, or all three. A lot of my time spent with God also happened in a group because I literally didn't have any other free time to do so. Hey, as a PK who takes on hard classes and works a job, lazy days sometimes feel like a foreign concept. And, when I do have free time, I would unwind with a good fanfiction prompt and some time scrolling through Wattpad reading wholesome stories about everyone's favorite IronDad and SpiderSon. But, when quarantine started up, I had all this time that I didn't know what to do with and it took longer than I'd like to admit before I finally set up a good schedule for my personal devotions.

And on June 9th, 2020 Kristin Long, my aunt, passed away with no warning. She wasn't sick or weak. Heck, she didn't even have Corona. She had a miscarriage that went extra wrong and the next thing I knew, my family had to drive ten hours to South Carolina (where she lived) to support my Uncle Chris and my cousins while they dealt with the loss. The funeral came and passed and a week after her death, another ten hour trip brought us back to Indiana. A week and a half later, Aunt Shannon took me and my sister back down to SC for another week long visit. I had a weekend between that and teen camp. Which, let me tell you, teen camp was awesome, even if there were a lot of new health rules to deal with. After praying, I gained a new mentor who I have met several times between my accomplishments in raising money for Speed the Light and being a PK. He's the District Youth Director for Indiana Assemblies of God, Steve Furr. Turns out, he had been praying earlier when God told him he was going to mentor a girl, which caused him to panic because girls are dramatic and have girl issues, but I think he was relieved when it was me who came up and talked to him about it because my youth pastor, Evan, says he literally would have turned anyone else down, but Pastor Steve, for whatever reason, likes me. After that, I was really able to move past a lot of the grief that had been plaguing my mind that month. A week and a half later, we had a kids lock in at church since kids camp had been cancelled due to Mrs. Elaine Furr getting Covid. She's recovered now, which is great! And, as of this Wednesday night, I will have officially slept in the same place for two weeks straight for the first time since Aunt Kristin passed away. Yay!

Now that school is almost back in session, I've been reflecting a lot about the different reactions to Covid. There's been a lot of panic for some people, but my tight group of church friends are barely bothered by it. It never really stressed me out. Looking back, I remember a stress test we did back in Psychology, I scored so high based on events that had happened in the past year that it didn't even make sense because I felt fine. I was happy. I still am. Less than ten minutes ago, I was so happy I thought I was gonna explode. After considering this strange phenomena of being content with my hand almost all the time, I realized it's because I have the joy of the Lord motivating me every day. Which, is totally sappy, I know. I'm perfectly aware that it probably sounds crazy to someone who hasn't experienced God's peace themselves. So, the moral of this essay, which ended up turning into a bit of a rant at times, is that, even in the face of a pandemic, God is insanely awesome and His peace and joy are great things to have. Thanks for reading, Mr. Tronc!