Finally, we are here! The end of 2020. What a year this was!
Needless to say, when I wrote a post welcoming 2020 at the end of last year, I had no fricking idea this is how it was going to turn out. So much so that I’m now apprehensive about writing a post to welcome 2021 this time.. 😆
So, today’s post is just a quick look back at the year that was.
If you are thinking what else could be the highlight of the year but Coronavirus, let me tell you, despite that looming, omnipresent threat, it was not the highlight of the year for me.
The pandemic has been quite severe on millions of people. Hundreds of thousands have been a victim of it, and with each death, a whole family has been devastated. Even for the hundreds of millions who have managed to survive it thus far, it may not be an easy road. We will be feeling the economic impact of it for years to come. There’s already enough chatter about the “new normal”, that I don’t need to say anything more about it.
However, this post is just a personal journal entry for me, and I haven’t been negatively affected by Coronavirus. If you have been severely impacted by the pandemic in any way, you might want to refrain from reading any further. I do realize it can be a very sensitive topic, and the last thing I’d want to do is to cause any more hurt than what has already been inflicted.
* * *
If you are still reading, I hope this year hasn’t been all that bad for you either.
For me, yes, I did have to spend a chunk of the year under lockdown. Even after that, there have been restrictions, imposed both by the state, and the self. Yes, for all its flaws, the pre-covid world does seem better than the “new normal” in many ways. And yes, I’ve even gained weight because of all the sitting! 😆
Yet, Coronavirus still takes a back-seat for me. The main reason for that is, by God’s grace, or just by luck (or both!), however you prefer to look at things, nobody in the family fell sick. Had that been the case, of course, it would’ve been front-end-center.
But apart from that, the reason 2020 will not be just the “year of the pandemic” for me is because of developments on the professional front. This year, I’ve stepped off the well-travelled road, on to the road less travelled, in search of a unicorn.
It’s a risky move. The future is never certain, even on the path that is narrow and well-known, let alone on this wide, unknown one. And I can’t even see beyond the next few steps at this point. Yet, I just knew I had to get off that known path.
In my mind, I do realize that I might have trouble finding my way back to it, if I get lost on the new path. Still, there’s isn’t a sense of fear as such. I’m more fearful of not having that fear of exploring this unknown territory, than I am of the actual exploration. I’m not sure of the reason for this lack of fear. Is it because I’m an idiot, and don’t fully realize how bad things could get? Or is it because deep down, I have that confidence in myself that no matter what, things will work out for the better somehow? If you are thinking I overthink things too much, I wouldn’t say you were wrong.. 😉
At the start of the year, I wasn’t planning any such move. Even though it has been on my mind for some time, but, it was always just too risky, and more in the “wishful” category. And I didn’t have much of a concrete plan as such. But I guess, the pandemic, and the so-called “new normal”, shook things up just enough for me to take the plunge. I’d still call it more of an impulsive move rather than a rational one.
I’m still not on the path that I’d ideally like to be on. I still need to find my way to that. But I knew that I wouldn’t find that by staying on the path that I was actually on. As Lao Tzu once said:
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
Lao Tzu
(That quote actually means more than just what meets the eye. I’ve previously covered it in more detail here, if you are interested)
So, I stepped off.
So far, it’s been going well. I’m not where I want to be. If I’m being honest, I’m not even working as hard as I should be on finding that path. I guess, I’m still getting used to the wilderness around the “yellow brick road”. I know it’s going to take a lot of effort, among other things, to actually find my path and reach the destination I want to.
Yet, at this moment, as the year and this post draw to a close, I’m happy. And to think that it may all have been possible due to the pandemic, in a weird, twisted way.
* * *
Still, I’m glad the year is ending. The deep hurt it has caused millions of people can, in no way, be compared to one little thing it did for me personally. So, goodbye 2020! 😌
As the new year approaches, here’s hoping it turns out way better than its predecessor, and brings with it health, happiness, and peace back in our lives, in ever greater amounts.
Happy New Year, everyone! 🤗
For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.
Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash
Echoes In The Ether 