We all leave a mark on this world and it is our choice what that mark is. I think it is important to remember that tomorrow is not promised to any of us, so we never know when our time on this earth will end. It has always been in my mind and thought process, we need to live each day as if it were our last day here in this world. The way we treat others might stay with that person long after we are gone and leave that person feeling down about themselves. We need to treat others with respect and love, instead of disrespect and ugliness.

I try to always view things from other’s perspectives. It is noticeably clear that everyone is different, which makes each experience we encounter a way to learn and grow. Of course, we are not going to agree with everyone’s way to view situations, but we can try to understand other viewpoints. Everything we undergo during our lifetime should continue to make us better than we were yesterday and help us to be more compassionate and empathetic.

It is crucial to decide how we want to be remembered because we only get one chance at this life. We do not have a rewind or a pause button, so the way we behave will be our legacy. We often fail to remember how short life is because we become desensitized to reality. In the United States alone, there have been over 510,000 deaths due to COVID-19 and yet there are still so many that are not taking this deadly virus as seriously as it needs to be.

If I were to ask you what you want your legacy to be, what would you say? Without having to think about it too deep, I know I want my legacy to be kind, compassionate, understanding, empathetic, fair, and thoughtful. I have always been the kind of person that puts everyone else’s needs ahead of my own and would stand up for anyone that could not stand up for themselves. In a world that seems to be increasingly full of hatred and greed, I do the best I can to not live my life under those terms.

2020 began under uncertain times due to the pandemic. I feel strongly that people showed their true colors, and they were not pretty colors. We all knew a virus was spreading rapidly throughout the world and to decrease the spread, certain things needed to occur. Staying home for a few weeks should not have been a challenging thing to do. I know how isolating staying at home felt, but it was these small sacrifices that could have made a huge difference.

When most people refused to just stay home for a few weeks, wearing masks was the next step. Of course, wearing a mask is not comfortable and feels rather suffocating, but to keep the spread limited it was necessary. I do not think many people understood that wearing a mask was to help keep others safe from the virus but to keep ourselves safe as well. There were many asymptomatic COVID carriers. This just means they did not have any of the typical COVID symptoms but were infected with the virus and spreading the virus to anyone they encountered.

As we are all still struggling to get COVID under control, many have been able to get vaccinated. Unfortunately, there is still a vast majority of the population that have not been vaccinated yet and are waiting for their time. To add more devastation to the world, the COVID virus has mutated into other variants. Regrettably, viruses naturally mutate over time, so it was not only a matter of when but how many others there would be. At this time, there are already three variants that are being researched. There is no way to know if everyone that was vaccinated from the COVID-19 virus will be safe from these other types or not.

As I just stated, there are already three variants to the COVID virus. Considering they are still new, there is so much to learn and there are knowledgeable scientists doing the research. Of course, wearing a mask is one of the best ways to avoid contracting these viruses, but it is still unsettling. I wanted to share a map of what viruses are in each state as of now. Please understand and remember how quickly COVID spread and know these variants will spread just as fast or faster.

I think if we have learned anything from COVID-19, it is awful things can and will happen. We would probably be naïve to think there will never be another pandemic again because it can happen at any time. At this point, it is not a matter of if it will happen again, it is when and will we be ready. My hopes are the world leaders will act accordingly and operate in a matter to save lives, instead of trying to downplay the situation.

I want to thank you for visiting my site today. I know you might not agree with everything I wrote and that is okay, but I would love the chance to read your comments. I can promise you that I will respond to all comments as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa