One Second Everyday
November 6, 2024
Writer: Hailey Brandt
Editor: Chloe Cardello
For lack of a better word, the COVID-19 pandemic truly sucked. From dreams of long-standing plans being crushed, to longing for the dreaded aspects of my daily routine as a busy high school freshman, to missing my class characters and best friends alike, I would have done anything to just go back to normal. I found myself feeling helpless as the world I once knew seemed millions of miles away. As 2020 ended and our “new normal” began, I knew I needed a change. As bad as I believed I had it as a 15 year old stuck at home, I became increasingly grateful for the health of myself and others in my life and being ‘stuck’ in a loving, safe, and happy home. Alas, the discovery of the app One Second Everyday. Acting as my digital diary, I spent the 365 days of 2021 capturing 1 happy, content, silly or beautiful second moment; essentially anything that sucked less than March of 2020.
When I needed inspiration to write this piece, I re-watched my 6 minute and 5 second montage. I am still so impressed and grateful that I stuck with this project. The first snippet of the video is my younger sister, Sydney, and I on the couch of our living room ringing in the new year. At the time, I had longed to be at a party to celebrate the holiday, as any tenth grader would. Looking back now, I am immensely grateful for the time we were forced to spend together. From learning trending Tik Tok dances, to squealing when the UV index was high enough to tan together, I can confidently say that she is the one I miss most while away at school. Winter month footage is filled with Facetime calls with long distance friends, the return to school in masks and a long-awaited (and finally safe) reunion with my grandparents.
About a minute into my video and now it's spring. April and May were filled with modified tennis team matches, Syd’s bat mitzvah in a parking lot, and my very sweet and outdoor sixteenth birthday. During the Summer, I went on an incredible 40 day road trip visiting national parks, completing notorious hikes, visiting new cities like Chicago and places I’d never heard of before like Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fan-girling over Mount Rushmore and watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon with my closest friends from Summer camp are some of the happiest and most fulfilling moments of my life. As the video comes closer to the end, I get to relieve Autumn which consisted of fuller classes in school, a home-coming celebration and exploring new neighborhoods of New York City.
Although each and every second looked different than what I could have ever imagined, I am eternally grateful for the lessons of going with the flow this new world has taught me. I now know it is a waste of time, energy and effort to wish for uncontrollable things to change. Being able to capture a happy moment, extra big smile, tiny accomplishment, or irreplaceable sight for a whole year allowed me to truly embrace the moment I am in. This new mindset is a constant reminder to not worry about the unknown of the future. At school, I have continued to find little joys daily. Whether that is trying a new coffee shop, learning a new fun fact in class or being with my friends and knowing that these are the people I can’t wait to grow old with. So maybe, 2020 wasn’t as bad as I remember it to be, I just didn’t know what to look for.
