2020, the year that felt like an eternity, is finally coming to an end.
At the beginning of the year, I was one of those people who said, “2020 is going to be my year.” Little did I know that the universe had some other plans for the whole world. This year was all about being dynamic and adapting to all the situations that were thrown at us. From a nationwide lockdown to beating plates and lighting diyas to final unlocking and resuming work, it was a true test for all of us.
For me, it was no different. My year started with a lot of travel, which as I’m writing this piece still feels unbelievable that it was just 9 months ago. As we went into lockdown in March, the first few days were a little weird and kind of scary because of the sheer uncertainty of the situation. But as I got used to the conditions, I used that extra time I had with me to do things I hadn’t done in a long time. Being a freelance professional, work-from-home wasn’t new for me, but figuring out what to do with the rest of the time I had which earlier was spent in going out and hanging out with friends was tough.
One of the first things I did was read all those books that had been pending since the past couple of years. This helped create a nice distraction from whatever was happening. The re-runs of Ramayan and Mahabharat on Doordarshan were also great not only in entertainment but also for learning a lot of new things. News Channels definitely weren’t the best options to watch on TV for the kind of negativity being spewed by them, but the formula of “Don’t watch it if you don’t like it” worked pretty well for me.
Continuing with some good things and the positives from this year, music was something that got me through this entire year. I finally learnt how to play the Ukulele, thanks to the numerous video tutorials on Youtube. And while this year was about learning new things, it was also about teaching and sharing knowledge with others.
As an educator, I got the opportunity to mentor people of all ages from elementary grade students to postgraduate students and corporates, from all parts of the country on things like Blogging and Content Writing, Novel Writing, Entrepreneurship and Climate Action. And besides everything, I decided to cross off whatever I could from my bucket list this year and virtually play games with my friends and colleagues.
Before I end this piece, I just want to say that it’s okay if you weren’t as productive as your friends this year, don’t feel guilty if you decided to take a break and breathe for a while. I don’t know what 2021 has in store for us, but before that make sure you say goodbye to all those times from this year when you felt lost when there was a no instead of a yes and all the heartache and negativity. Carry all the positivity from this year with you and take the New Year one day at a time.
Lastly, even if it doesn’t feel like, all of us have in one way or the other made this year our year. Let’s share it in the comments and spread the positivity.