Our staffers share why they’re glad top be done with 2021, and look forward to a new year of promise with 2022.
by: The Oracle Staff. Special thanks to Ms. Elliott.
Dear 2021,
I’m sorry if this hurts you, but we have to breakup. I was going to start off the typical way. It’s not you, it’s me. But truly, it isn’t me. It’s most definitely you. It’s your obnoxious need to try and outdo 2020 in every way. I mean the urge to outperform 2020 reeks off you like sweat after a 5k. The need to create new variants like Delta, Omicron, and Flu-Rona just to try and create your own global quarantine, but you failed. You failed the hearts and hopes of the people who were looking to 2021 for their superhero coming to save the day, their “fresh start.” Yeah, that “fresh start” lasted what, six days! Boom! January 6th. A day that will be remembered forever! Now in what way, that depends on who you ask. The world offered you their last shred of hope and you took it into your own hands, dropped it on the floor, and crushed it right in front of our faces like a hammer to a potato chip.
In our last month’s together, we went through ups and downs. We did share the Oscars, which had their most diverse year yet, which was very exciting. As well as the guilty verdicts in the murder trials for Ahmaud Arberry and George Floyd, and Trump’s second impeachment! Those made me as happy as a kid on Friday! But honestly, all jokes aside, those were some of our best times. Those moments have impacted my life forever, so thank you for that.
With that, I am moving on to 2022. We just seem to be on the same pulsing up-beat tune. I believe that we are just a better match when it comes down to the facts. 2022 has the Winter Olympics in Bejing, and although you technically had the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, they were still the “2020” Olympics, so 2020 gets that too. But yes, the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the star-studded Super Bowl Halftime Show, Black Panther Two, and so much more I don’t want to bore you with listing it all. I don’t want to string you along like a piece of warm mozzarella on a sweltering piece of pizza in a scratchy wafer-thin pizza box, descriptive, I know, so let me just say this. I plan on remembering the good things we experienced together, and not harp on the negatives. I hope you can move on and find that person that completes you. Maybe a history book? Whatever it may be, I wish you well.
From,
Mairen Brown
*****
Dear 2021,
I’m sorry if this hurts you, but we must break up. You surely knew that this was coming after your recent stunts. You were like a walking car accident all year (simile). So many people around the world contracted COVID-19 and died. American Republicans stormed the U.S. capitol and threatened to kill people. America has had inflation levels relative to that of the 09’ housing crisis. And just recently, supply chains have been hit by the COVID vaccine mandate, which means that people everywhere can’t get what they need or want as readily as they used to. And all of this happened on your watch! It’s like you were as blind as a bat to all that happened (simile). All of this left a bitter taste in my mouth (taste).
I must digress. However, I have recently met a new partner, named 2022. 2022 is a better match for me for the following reasons, and is the light of my life (metaphor). I have so many things to look forward to! All my favorite shows are running a new season this year. I’m as happy as a lark (simile) that I got to watch Attack on Titan season 4 this year. Another exciting event to look forward to is getting my driver’s license this year. With this, I can go (almost) anywhere I want to! Next is the fact that I might be getting my first job soon. I’m not looking forward to working, however, it marks a milestone in my life that is important going forth. All of these sound as sweet as a symphony to me (sound)!
As I gathered with my friends at the end of our relationship and listened to fireworks scream and whine (personification) for what felt like hours, I realized that it was nice to have you. Coming in from my previous relationship with 2020, I thought that you would have looked as beautiful as sunshine (sight). Your time and affection spent on me, as well as the time I spent with others was as sweet as pie (taste). I appreciate all that you have done for me, at times you felt as gentle as a lamb, at others, sharp like broken glass (touch). Anyways, I must leave.
Best wishes,
Andrew Mbow
*****
Dear 2021,
We need to break up. Our relationship was a rollercoaster ride without the uphill parts; it just went down… down… down. First, you hit us with the Delta variant as if covid wasn’t bad enough. And then omicron! I remember when I used to notice the smell of a disposable mask on my face, but now, it has become an unwanted part of me. When the cloth touches my face, I feel a physical reminder of all we’ve lost from this pandemic. And from a financial standpoint, you threw me into the dirt. The supply chain disruption was like a knife to the heart, unexpected but so very painful. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the boats lined up on the news without workers to unload them. And those flight cancellations that stranded people at airports during the holiday season were a great reminder to never fly again until covid is over, so thanks for that. All of that was caused by worker shortages because of covid, which, by the way, you gave me over winter break. Goodbye visiting grandma and hello quarantine for 10 days. And the best part was finishing my 10-day quarantine on the day they announced vaccinated people only had to quarantine for 5 days.
2021, before I completely leave you, we need to talk about your obsession with my pets. First, you turn my cat into a chipmunk serial killer. For about a month, he gave me daily gifts of dead chipmunks. That was like a horror movie in real life. I bet you’ve never picked up the corpse of a chipmunk using a plastic bag before, and let me tell you, it is not fun. And thanks for giving my dog heart disease! She now has to wear diapers at night because she won’t stop peeing everywhere (honestly not sure if the two are related), and she looks like a human child werewolf. Dogs should never wear clothes. And my other cat… thanks for bringing his thyroid disease back from the dead. Genuinely thought it was gone, but now it’s back and better than ever. He is like a walking corpse, he’s so close to death.
2022 treats me normally. It is so much better than you. It is nice to have another year to get covid under control. My puppy is turning 2, so will finally start acting normal- unlike you, 2022 doesn’t have some weird obsession with my pets- and my cat has finally stopped murdering so many chipmunks. I can almost taste the cold lemonade and hear the splash of pool water that comes along with summer. My brother will graduate high school and move into his dorm at the University of Georgia in August, and I’ll finish my first year at North Springs. Now that I have a better understanding of the school, hopefully I’ll be able to choose a good schedule next year and have a positive Sophomore year. And I can’t forget that I’ll be getting my learner’s permit in March. One more thing to look forward to: the wilds season 2. As a show that I binge-watched during covid, the wilds has a special place in my heart. Thanks to 2022, I finally realized how controlling you were, and I can now see it’s time to move on.
Best wishes (not really),
Sarah Meiselman
*****
Dear 2021, I’m sorry if this is sudden but we must break up. Too many bad things happened, and I can’t stand it. On January 6, 2021, trump supporters rushed the capital like children rushing to the playground. Not a good start to the new year, and after that we had the problems at the southern border with immigrants. Covid continued to spread like wildfire. In California wildfire spread like wildfire. New variants of covid emerged like ground hogs in the spring, and over 800,000 people died from covid. It felt like the world was punching me over and over.
Things kept getting worse and worse, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban like leaves falling in autumn. In Texas temperatures got so low it drained the power grid like a battery. This left millions of people without power for days. I feel like 2022 will be a better match for me. 2021, you made me feel like the world was going to end and it was never going to get better. 2022 gives me hope for the future. 2022 makes me feel like a flower blooming in the spring. If I know anything about 2022 I know that it will be better than 2021 and 2020.
2022 feels like a breath of fresh air, even though cases have skyrocketed, we have ample vaccines and even a booster shot. Cases will go down again, and they will go up again. We will learn to live with covid in 2022 and that’s what gives me hope. More people will get fully vaccinated and things will go back to normal. I won’t have to think about getting sick when I don’t wear a mask in public. I will be set free like a bird from a cage. Goodbye 2021, roman.
*****
Dear 2021
Look I’m just going to be honest. You suck. Our relationship was full of lies, betrayals, and defeat, so I’m leaving you. I know this may come as a shock to you, but you’re just not that great.
I’m going to start eating and living healthy. Not because I want to lose weight, or because I don’t like the way I look, but because I want to thrive. I’m going to pay more attention to myself and my needs (something you never did). It’s just me and my mom now, and I’m totally okay with that. We’re doing great without you.
In fact, maybe it’s good you were so horrible to me, because now I realize what good is. Good is not arguing every day at dinner. Good is not flinching when someone raises their voice at me. What is good is, spending the time with people who make you FEEL good. That’s why I’m breaking up with you. Sorry.
Your ex,
Emily
*****
Dear 2021,
I dislike you. No. I hate you. so much. You started off fine. Everyone was just getting used to Covid and the distribution of the new vaccine increased near your start. Way over half of America was fully vaccinated, children and old people alike. The mask mandate was loosening, and I was getting used to the “normal” again. Well dang. here comes the delta variant. I know some people, including me, were iffy about the vaccine so covid started increasing heavily. America already had so much on its plate. We were still trying to recover from George Floyd (which the devil was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter) and the mini civil war we almost had. Then, the trumpets, trump-ians, etc. Stormed the capital. Really? I knew they were ignorant, but they had reached a new high! It’s almost laugh-able. And the police force did nothing. Like normal. Glady, Trump was impeached, TWICE, and finally a decently good guy, Biden, rose to power. Instead of taking his impeachment like a champ, Trump decided to pull the “oh no they miss counted” card. Obviously, he was wrong, but we did find more Biden votes lol. Also, Juneteenth has become a federal holiday. I’m glad we’ve come a long way, but we aren’t done yet. We had our goddess Simones Biles rightfully withdraw from the competition in all for her mental health. To add to our rabbit hole of drama, Meghan and Prince Harry sat down with Oprah to discuss his racist parents. On top that Atlanta (WHERE I LIVE!!) and Boulder had mass shootings, Florida had buildings collapse, Texas almost froze over, Hurricane Elsa and Ida, and was R-Kelly being finally convicted. You did have some nice moments. I connected with lost family, Britney Spears got her freedom, Nasa lands on mars, Adele released a new album, the Spice girls had a world tour, new movies like Black Widow, and Tom cruise went to space. But of course, near the end of it, I got covid, it sucked mega. And then a day before new year’s, Betty White died. Respectfully from the bottom of my heart, you. SUCK
I hope I never see you again,
Phoenix C Rivera.
*****
Dear 2021,
I’m sorry if this hurts you, but we must break up. I feel it is for the best since this year has been a roller coaster full of ups and downs. Though I do thank you for the many positive and fun times you brought me, the negatives are what brought me to do this. It takes a lot for me to even try and look past all the harm you caused. The continuous worrying about COVID-19 and all the variants is so beyond exhausting. I stuck around, hoping it would go away, but look at where we are now. The additional weird weather and bundle of personal problems you brought made it even worse. Leaving my swim team sucked a lot, and the friend drama drained me like a quick-dying battery.
As I really start to look at all these negatives and their effects, I feel 2022 is a better match for me. There are many things that have helped me come to my conclusion of why 2022 is superior. A clear, obvious reason is the fact that 2022 is new and has an endless number of possibilities. 2022 is an open door for anything to happen. There are also many things to look forward to with 2022. Spring break is just around the corner, and soon after that summer follows. With spring break, comes the beach and everything connected to the beach. The beautiful sights of the ocean waves crashing against the sand, the salty taste of the water, and the fun memories made all week. Nothing but happiness is associated with summer; the feeling of the hot sun on your face, the smell of the fresh air, and the sound of kids playing outside. Both times are just surrounded by happy feelings, almost like a big warm hug.
With 2022, I welcome in a breath of fresh air that fills me with a joyful sense of “new”. 2022 creates this feeling of excitement and wonder for what is to come. It’s like 2022 picked me up and threw me into a room with an infinite amount of open doors. As I approach the 2nd semester, and eventually the end, of my freshman year of high school, I am eager to apply my knowledge to open opportunities in the future. Sophomore year is also something to look forward to, along with getting my learners permit later in the year. So, 2021, do you understand? Just look and see how much curiosity and thrill 2022 brings. It is a new year that will *hopefully* bring great things. I am proud to bring the positive aspects of 2021 with me, but I will be leaving the negatives in the past. Thank you for everything 2021, but its 2022 now.
Get with the times 😉
Best wishes,
Abby Simon.
