Hello hello all you beautiful souls. We are nearing the end of 2020. Is that a sigh of relief I hear or doesn’t matter anymore? I am a little in between the two, if I have to be honest. I still somewhere can’t believe this year is over and for 9 months all we did was stay home. Like how cray cray is that?. Ok let me come out of my shock. The best part however is the lessons it taught us, silently, without really screaming into our faces. That is why I say, this year, probably din’t seem like our year, but it definitely was, in it’s own twisted way.

The quarantine made me realise a lot of things (like I am sure it did for you), since we got a lot of time to reflect upon on lives (sometimes a little too much probably), like, how we lived, the people in it, where we headed, etc. But also, on the whole we got to see things a lot more clearly and I am so grateful that there are some things just don’t bother me like they used to, which I would like to believe is progress. Yay to that!

So, as promised, here is my list of lessons or rather aspects of life which became more apparent during the quarantined life.

We are all just human:

The virus doesn’t differentiate, so shouldn’t you. If there is one thing we learnt this year is we are all human, small fragile creatures, with no exceptions whatsoever of race, culture, ethnicity or social status. On the bright side, I hope it did make us understand a lot on the grounds of humanity and reflect upon lot of things in our daily lives.

Empathy and kindness always win:

Out of all the amazing things we have witnessed this year, (over the nonsense), this takes the cake for me. One of the brighter things this year, is how people have come about helping others, that really is what is there to life. It is so beautiful to see people helping each other, doing their bit, praying for others or even just being cautious, so that they don’t hurt any vulnerable. One small act of kindness is all that makes a world a better place, we need more of this. Be the helper, it’s a chain reaction. <3

Stick on for yourself:

You for yourself, you have to be your best friend at all times, even now and otherwise. There may be times, where you will find yourself alone in life, no friends around or proper support system (like probably during these times even more) and that’s alright, be there, for you. I know much harder done than said. Pull yourself up, push yourself to get better, you know only you can do it. You got this!

Hold tighter to your tribe:

Now since I mentioned, be there for yourself in my previous point, it doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t need friends or have people that got your back. You will, but what this year made easier (along with growing old too), is that, you realise who you need to hold onto and who to let go (sometimes this is the harder part, hey heart, move it), but, you get my point. The ones you can whine to, cry to, scream to, vent out too and those that comforted you, made you smile, feel warm, and heard you; hold onto them a little tighter.

Your peace of mind first:

The drama, the masks, the being there for people, the need to be present/available, the need to do something, the need to be a certain way; all the things that affect your peace can take a backseat. They all seem a little irrelevant and unimportant after a point and they did after a point even in this quarantine. If you realised that, in few months of staying home, why ruin your peace over it otherwise or when things go back to normal?

A lot of things don’t really matter:

Things you thought you couldn’t do without. People who you thought you needed. All turned out to be just air this year. While giving us a reality check on the things that actually matter, this year was quite the eye opener. Why do we keep going back to things/people, that don’t live upto your expectations? Truth be told, it is not their fault, since its your expectations and you can’t change how people behave or think. Take these lessons ahead and remember that a lot of things don’t really matter. Focus on what/who really do.

Stupidity is more rampant than you think:

This is more of a revelation than lesson, but it does teach you a thing or two about those around you and people in general. The fact that stupidity and moronvirus at times seemed like a bigger disease. Without taking anything from people and their choice of freewill, but when you need to come together as a community on the whole, stick together, is when we shall win (not just the pandemic). Only if…

That comes to the end of my list, I am sure there are more, but I don’t want to bore the hell out of everyone right now. If there is something we take from this year in to the next, let it be lessons, hope, kindness, peace and love.

Also, the fight isn’t over, don’t forget to be safe. Happy holidays you beautiful people. Happiness and light your way, always. Catch you guys on the other side of the decade. <3

2021: New book? New beginning? or continuation of the fight? – you choose

P.S. What lessons are you taking into 2021? Also, do leave your hopes/wishes/resolutions for 2021 in the comments below.

Note of gratitude: Thought this needed a separate section. If there are people who kept it going for all of us this year, are the ones who are mostly ignored, or underrated. One of the biggest lessons this year, never underestimate any work or profession, or more like it showed us who actually are really essential. All the delivery guys, sanitary workers, supermarket people, pharmacy employees, front liners, helpers, and of course the healthcare professionals, deserve more than just a thank you. Also, to everyone out there who acted responsible, even if it meant sacrificing a little, you are a hero.