The front page of the March 12, 2020 edition of the Sentinel-News carried four stories most readers would consider “positive.”

The main article provided an update on construction progress at H-M-S’s new elementary school, while two side stories highlighted the Hartley Community Center’s upcoming fundraiser and Royal organizing plans for a July visit from Iowa’s Ride. The fourth story told the tale of H-M-S’s quiz bowl team, which had just won the KCAU-TV tournament for the first time in school history.

The script had completely flipped the following week. A 133-point headline screamed “SHUT DOWN” to readers, and the three stories underneath it described an increasingly concerning situation. There was a mad rush at Fiesta Foods in Hartley as people stocked up in preparation for the impending pandemic, Gov. Kim Reynolds had just ordered schools to shut down for a month, and local health experts were suggesting people stay home as much as possible to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Tying the three-story package together was a photo of a woman grabbing one of the last packs of toilet paper from a Fiesta Foods shelf.

The past year has been a whirlwind. In many ways, we’ve all endured a 12-month March. So much has occurred, yet it feels like nothing has really changed. We’ve had hope recently thanks to increasing vaccine supplies and a broadened rollout, but many people won’t feel safe for many months. New strains of COVID-19 have thrown a wrench into recovery plans and the future is still somewhat opaque. We can’t get shots in arms fast enough.

I feel rather numb reflecting on all of it. There has been so much hurt over the past year that I feel somewhat guilty for coming out mostly unscathed. Neither I nor my family members contracted the virus, and I still haven’t missed a paycheck. That can’t be said for millions of Americans who lost their jobs or watched a loved one die in a hospital bed over a FaceTime call.

The past year has helped me realize that nothing is guaranteed and every day should be cherished. I need to keep reminding myself that, though, because sometimes I do get overwhelmed by bad news that assaults us with every flip of the calendar. Still, it could be worse, and we’ve all witnessed that over the past 365 days. Mercifully, there are more good headlines than bad now.

I’m looking forward to the year ahead. It’s going to be a while before I don’t feel like I’m entering a biohazard at stores, restaurants and other public spaces, but that’s OK. It’s been 12 months already so a few more won’t make me bat an eye.

I used to think boring was bad. Now, I view boring as good. I guess a pandemic will do that to you, and I’m eager to enjoy boring normalness once again. There is a certain peace in the day-to-day minutiae of life and I’d rather not have that distrupted for another year.

Go get your shot, and let’s get back to boring.

Nick Pedley is the news editor of The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.