2020 has been a tough year for everyone. A year of lessons. A year of losses. A year of resilience. A year that has shattered life as we know it. It brought with it a new way of life, a better one, I hope. A life where we understand the value of the true sources of happiness - meaningful relations, togetherness, nature, love, kindness and so much more.Â
Through this year, we have learned many lessons, personally and as a community. Every time we reflect on this year, we hopefully will remember the lessons it imparted. Here are some of the lessons we learnt and will be taking forward on our journey:
1. Gratitude:
Through this pandemic and all the ups and downs that came with it, we chose to fill ourselves with gratitude. Looking around us, there were many reasons to complain and sulk, but a billion more to be grateful for. We are ever grateful to have a roof over our heads, food on our table, a healthy body and family by our side (and wifi, of course ;) ). We were and will continue to be consciously grateful for everything we take for granted. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, there is always something to be grateful for. We will carry this immense amount of gratitude in our hearts forever.
2. Connection:
Navigating the different pressures of the fast paced life we adopt, we often forget our way back home, our way to what and who truly matter. This pandemic helped us take the time to reflect on the most important parts of life - our family and friends. As social creatures we crave connection, the deep meaningful kind, where we can open our hearts and feel the love. Through all the hard times, this year brought to front our true relations, those who stuck by us no matter what.Â
3. Self Care:
We lead lives with packed schedules and back to back commitments. In this rush, we often neglect taking care of ourselves. We fail to give ourselves time that we need to recuperate and process everything happening to and around us. This period gifted us the much needed time to spend with ourselves. We spent this time by journaling, meditating, catching up with loved ones, making new memories and so much more.Â
4. Nature Therapy:
After being locked in for the longest time, we grew greater appreciation for time spent in nature. Long walks in the park, beach and streets is how we kept our mind and body active during this period. These walks were more than just physical exercise, they were a way to heal our mind. Connecting with nature has bigger benefits that we can fathom but this period helped us experience nature therapy like never before. This is a practice we will take time out for at least twice a week, no matter how busy our schedule gets.Â
5. Empathy:
Our biggest takeaway last year was empathy. We have learnt to think of the community as a whole and those around us. It’s important to understand that everyone has their own journey, which entails their own unique set of circumstances and hardships. This time has taught us to be more understanding by lending our support in any way possible. Any gesture, big or small, can go a long way and can create ripple effects bigger than we can imagine, so let's sprinkle kindness all through 2021.
With a mind full of lessons from this past year and a heart full of hope, we are ready to bid adieu to 2020 and welcome 2021 with the hope that it brings joy, happiness, love and growth to all.Â