Do you spend every moment like it’s your last? Every test, practice, game, do you give it your all? Or do you just go through the motions?

Most students tend not to give everything their all because they know they still have another day, but due to recent events with Coronavirus they aren’t given another day. The outbreak of the virus in Hawai’i has caused all private and public schools to shut down until the end of the year. Cancelling school events such as prom, sport seasons, and maybe even graduation if this situation worsens. Most schools, such as Mid-Pacific, are now moving to online learning to continue the rest of the year. Hawai’i has also passed a stay at home-order preventing people from leaving their home unless it’s essential. 

Most of us never thought we would miss school. I definitely didn’t. Waking early and staying up late studying was not something I enjoyed, especially going to softball practice. But now that it’s all gone, I realized how much I took it for granted. I miss being on the field, seeing my friends. I wish I took more meaning in those little moments, instead of stressing about what’s to come next.  

One of my softball teammates, Alyssa Nakagawa, felt the same way and also had to say goodbye to her softball season after training hard for months. Season started out good for her, but she didn’t feel she gave it her all. “I did okay the first 3 games, but I knew I could have worked harder.” That feeling of regret and dissatisfaction, not being able to do anything about it, has been a wake up call for her. She is now focusing on working like it’s her last because she knows what it’s like to have it taken away.  

Ian Ishibashi, a student at Mid-Pacific, had the opportunity to dance in the Merrie Monarch, the most competitive hula competition in the world where different Halaus in Hawai’i compete and people from all over the world come to watch. Since the beginning of summer 2019, he’s been training ever since, practicing daily to make sure he stays in the lineup to compete. Being the only underclassmen to dance in Auwana with some of the top dancers, he had to say goodbye to the competition due to cancellation a month before they were supposed to leave. He says he is sad about not being able to compete, but “It’s more just hanging out with those guys on Sunday, being able to see them.” Those little moments we spend together that we don’t realize how truly important it is. 

I talked to my mom, Sheryl Chun, to hear her insight about the impact of Coronavirus. She shared how she wasn’t expecting it to be this bad but “We just have to live life day by day.” Although it’s a tough time all we can do is learn from this experience. Be grateful for what we have, don’t take everything for granted. Spend every moment like it’s your last. 

LISTEN to hear other students stories on what they had to say goodbye to and their outtake from this experience.