What Are Your Takeaways From the Pandemic Year 2020?

Needless to mention, the pandemic year 2020 has been tough. Having survived COVID-19 myself, I can confidently say that each one of us is a warrior in every sense –

the ones who contracted the virus,

the ones whose loved ones were infected,

the ones who toiled hard to protect us,

the ones who shielded themselves

and the ones who succumbed.

Each one of us fought our own battles, in our own mighty way. Time for a round of applause for self. The least that we deserve is a pat in the back for making it so far.

It is March 2021, while I sit down and type this post, after a brief hiatus in the journey of writing. It’s been exactly a year, since the virus struck us and life is definitely not the same anymore. With masks and sanitisers as basic essentials, it seems like the new normal is here to stay for a while.

As I reflect on the last year today, I see a roller coaster of memories, some good, some bad and some beautiful lessons for life. It is quite amusing to think of it this way, but it actually took us a reckless pandemic to pay heed to the basics of life. For some, the year 2020 seemed to pass by in a flash and for some, the year still does not seem to end. But one thing is common for all across the world – For each one of us, the year 2020 is unforgettable and left us with important  lessons of life.

Here are my 5 major life lessons from 2020 :

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Focus on Relationships

With the unavoidable lockdowns and the pandemic scare, life definitely came to a screeching halt. After the initial craze for saree challenges and dalgona coffees subsided, we had all experienced loneliness like never before. It was a darkness that had the power to consume us completely.

And the one aspect which helped us sail through the darkness was – a true relationship. Focus on earning true friends. Because anybody can earn money, but there’s no wealth as true relationships. This year taught us that all we actually need is to keep investing efforts in real relationships in our lives. Strangely, it’s only relationships which reap returns.

Utilise Time Effectively and Nurture Your Skills

Practice social distancing but do not lockdown from within. Since everything had come to  an unavoidable halt, now was the time to take a pause, unwind and unlock our spirits within.

It was such a joy to watch people bloom in their new-found interests, which were somewhat lost in the hackles of a busy life. I got to discover so many gardeners, painters, artists, cooks, artisans, writers, musicians etc. in what they call as – a common man.

Respect the Environment

When the heart knows nowhere to go and longs for nothing at all, nature becomes the true calling. It is ironic how we never really care much about our natural resources and nature, in general. That is because nature exists as a default setup of sorts.

But when the going gets tough, we immediately rush back to that same old forsaken nature again, expecting it to heal all our sores.

Post the lockdown, the air began feeling fresher, pollution was at an all-time low and even distant mountains started getting more and more visible. Guess, nature has its own way of healing itself, when we push everything out of control.

Social Distancing Is the Key to Good Health

And then, all our endless work kept happening simultaneously, along with a refreshing bout of mental detox. It felt restless initially, but work from home has not been so bad after all. Rather, it was really good and an absolute need of the hour.

Considering my immense passion for travel, I had never imagined that I would discourage travel of any sort. But, the need of the hour called for us to – be responsible, stay safe and stay at home unless there was a genuine emergency. And I realised how social distancing can also be a boon in disguise.

Hope Is the True Essence of Life

As Martin Luther King, Jr rightly said – “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope”.

Here’s my little ode to HOPE, for a better and fresher corona-free year ahead.

~ To the hope that the sun will shine at its brightest best.

~ To the hope that we will stand facing that sun dabbed with a generous amount of our favourite sunscreen.

~ To the hope that the wind will again tease our hair on that bright sunny day.

~ To the hope that our face will illuminate again with the widest grin.

Because darkness can never be forever. Stay positive. This too shall pass.