It has been one year since Pennsylvania reported its first COVID-19 cases.

It seems like 10 years ago. Life has changed in so many ways, and mostly not for the better.

Depending on your age, family status, personal interests, hobbies and employment, it varies, but everyone has had to make multiple and extreme adjustments.

Professional and college sports fans can barely experience the same thing they did pre-COVID-19. We only recently started allowing a sparse crowd for most sports, although with the talent level of the Pirates, they will still not reach capacity unless they set the maximum number of fans allowed at 250 per game.

Football and hockey fans saved a lot of money by not purchasing tickets this year, but there is a definite disconnect from the teams as well.

High school sports and especially the players have been cheated out of one of life’s greatest memories.

High school activities, certainly not limited to sports, have lost years that many traditionally hold dear forever. Senior proms, school musicals, homecoming celebrations and even senior-skip day won’t be among the special memories classmates discuss at the 25th class reunion.

It will be years before therapists uncover the many ways the population has been affected and suffered.

Financially, we have learned to wait on government handouts as an expectation. It is sort of a tax refund without bothering to pay taxes first. We have found more time to devote to following politics, and that is something those therapists are certain to discover ruined many people’s minds.

Going to work now means closing a door to shut out the noise and confusion from children, animals and spouses while we conduct business at home. Businesses have also found they can and will in the future survive with not only fewer employees, but also fewer offices and less square footage than they ever imagined possible.

Face-to-face appointments with doctors no longer are considered essential, and neither are actual classrooms for children. Parents have, however, learned a greater appreciation for school teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and school custodians since the parents now have the children as many hours as the schools used to keep them for us.

Arts and humanities have lost a year they will never recover. Attendance was banned and donations dropped in direct correlation. No new patrons were brought in, and COVID-19 took its toll on some of the loyal patrons, which are often the elderly who have the generosity gene strongly implanted.

Religion threw up its hands and banked on people falling back into the pre-COVID-19 routine when this all passes. Those who hoped for leadership from the faith-based institutions were sadly disappointed, as most of the institutions drew within themselves and became silent to the outside world. Fear of a virus allowed sacraments that stood as mandatory for ages to become something of a memory as baptisms, communion, confessions, weddings and funerals no longer were encouraged, experienced or celebrated. And anointing of the sick? That one was completely forgotten by the church.

Faith is what the churches hope brings congregations back. But don’t be surprised if we soon are looking for ways to repurpose buildings with steeples that were once full of people, but are no longer maintainable with much sparser memberships.

Conversation has changed. Adults and kids alike have their noses buried in the iPads or other devices. Texting is no longer for teenagers, but the preferred manner of communication for people of all ages. It is so much easier to just quit texting than to make up an excuse to get off the phone.

Yes, our world is different, and it’s probably not an improved one. Will you be giving a percentage of your stimulus check to charity or the arts? Will you still give financial support to political campaigns? Has your experience with a pandemic made you admire the medical field far and above entertainment and sports?

The answers to those questions will help answer whether our world has improved in the past year. You probably won’t like the answer you find.

Please wear your mask.

— RV