2020 — The Best Lousy Year
[Prologue] I have been in and out of writing this piece for months now. Every time I start to write a few lines I realize how dynamic the situation has been and how everything has been changing. Now that I’m just 4 days away from 2021 I feel comfortable enough to complete this to conclude this year finally.
First of all, let’s be clear; this has been a lousy year. There’s no way anyone can sugar-coat this. It is the worst year of this generation, yet. Plain and simple.
And because this is such an extraordinarily bad year for everyone, it broke our routines and forced us to rethink our priorities. Everyone was forced to adapt in various degrees.
I for one had to retool my skills. There have been a lot of circling between self loathing and reflection; wondering if I had made the wrong turns in life before circling thru resentment, resignation and finally acceptance. And with acceptance helps to bring back a bit more light and positivity until the next cycle hit.
Yet I don’t think I’m special. I do believe everyone of us experience these emotions, and to different degrees. Perhaps more this year as for a few months — or longer depending on the pandemic situation in your region — when everything became a huge chore. Grocery shopping became stressful; home became noisy with the homeschooling kids; even a run in the park was a debatable topic.
So why do I think this is the best of the worst years? Well, because this is such an unusual kind of bad. All of us were forced to break our routines abruptly in order to survive. This unforseen pause helps to give us all some perspective to why we have been spending our precious time on the things we were doing. It also helps us notice and appreciate the things we took for granted; services and things that we wouldn’t notice if they didn’t stop during the lockdowns.
While many countries are still battling this virus right now, I’m grateful that Singapore is kept relatively safe and people were able to return to a progressive level of normacy. I’m also grateful for the relationships that were brought closer during the crisis.
So in conclusion, while the year and the pandemic suck, the spirit and positivity we showed will be something we’ll look back fondly for years to come. May 2021 be the year we turn this around! Get vaccinated!
