It’s the last month of a year that has pretty much turned everyone’s life upside-down. Nobody saw what 2020 would actually bring. And yet prior to this year, I have heard of organizations planning their strategies and targets around a “2020 Vision”. (I hope the irony is not lost on them.)
Twelve months ago, almost to the day, I decided to embark on a journey that spans 14mos – from January 2020 to February 2021. And from the moment I took that flight to Milan, that journey has been riddled with all sorts of unforeseen circumstances. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, category 5 storms, and that little thing known as a global pandemic – which seemed to follow me from Milan to Barcelona and back to Manila. (For the record, I have tested negative for CoVID-19 all six times.)
2020 has been eventful, at the very least.
And while many are suffering the consequences of these series of unfortunate events, I sit quite comfortably in my home. People have lost jobs whilst I voluntarily left one of my roles in June. (To clarify, the decision was made much earlier and was communicated in March – just when the pandemic was taking hold. No, the global meltdown did not stop me from leaving a position that helped pay the bills. Yes, I’m crazy like that.) Many struggle to make ends meet while my cashflow, despite moving out of a role that provided 50% of my income, remained – quite miraculously – somewhat stable. (Admittedly, I had to take on side hustles to get that going.) I got to start a pet project which I’ve been putting off for the longest time (and have since put on hold due to lack of time). I got back to radio hosting, this time on FM. And I started my little garden of potted succulents when I realized I needed something to destress.
I’ve met more people in 2020 than I have in possibly the three years prior. Granted, a huge chunk of that was the result of taking up further studies. Grad school aside, I’ve built a number of friendships with people across continents and timezones – some of whom I have never met in the flesh and have only seen on tiny screens. And abnormal as it may be, these long-distance almost-virtual friends have given me a sense of normalcy.
(I’ve also gone on the dating merry-go-round, but I’ll save those stories for another day.)
Overall, 2020 has been pretty kind to me. And I know it’s not fair. It’s not fair that friends have lost their parents to illness while mine are healthy and still very much active. It’s not fair that people I know are battling cancer in the middle of a global health crisis, while my biggest health issue is a repetitive strain injury and the occasional sore back from sitting too long at my desk. It’s not fair that I get to sleep at night not having to worry about tomorrow. I know not everyone has that luxury.
I am, without a doubt, the recipient of undeserved favour. Grace upon grace.
And yet it is embarrassing to admit that I still gripe about fussy clients and long-winded professors who failed to clearly communicate expectations. That I find cooking and cleaning tiring or tiresome and wish I had a smaller house. That I get impatient or exasperated when the internet bugs out or people call me at inopportune times. I easily forget how blessed I am.
Unpleasant as it may have been, 2020 was unusually good to me. And it was good for me. It took me a couple of months to see it for what it was. A year that allowed me to thrive under different (sometimes difficult) circumstances, to grow and experience new things, to meet and get to know new people. To build the resilience and the tenacity to keep finding a solution even when circumstances don’t seem to be cooperating (and the threat of spending the night in one of the world’s worst airports is looming over me).
2020 showed me what I am made of. And who are my people. And how, despite still being under the world’s longest lockdown, life doesn’t have to be confined to these four walls.
Photo by David Travis on Unsplash
