Reflection 2020
In a year that was obnoxiously long, the scope for major life events seems to narrow to a thin ground. Quite contrarily, I had a difficult time to select the ones that had a larger and prolonged impact. In the time-warped 2020 when the world stood still and life turned inwards, we all either got busy or got time to introspect. Lockdown was also a blessing in disguise as my social interactions became minimal and that should have helped me focus more on self; rather I got tangled in chores and nuances of life becoming so preoccupied to not even make time to read.
The biggest achievement this year was survival. So if you have, celebrate. It wasn’t an easy feat. And hence as a tribute to the spirit of life, I’ll omit the section of the deceased here. There were many, and heartbreaking at it; I just pray for their souls, and for strength & resilience to the family. With a tough call, and a hope for a better year, let’s begin:
5. Sea plane excursion
When the Prime Minister made the inaugural journey from Kevadia to Ahmedabad on a sea plane, the route got officially open for public and I made a note of it. Within a few days of it, I was on my solo trip to Kevadia, home to the now tallest statue on the planet from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad. And then a return trip after a halt of couple hours. I didn’t want to witness the statue(had done so last year), neither I sought a company. It was more of an escape into the world of flights that I feel drawn to, a getaway from the world where normalcy has changed its definition. And a first experience of taking flight from a river.
4. Books, friends and a long cherished dream
Somehow books find a place in my list every year. Yes I failed miserably at completing my annual Goodreads challenge (10/20), I got luckier to find people for whom books are more than a bunch of papers. Call them book buddies or online friends for I haven’t met them in person, but talking to them gives comfort the way one holds an endearing book on an afternoon in winter. Ichha and Sonali went a step ahead to send me gifts for my big day and then some more! Also, I had a dream of owning a hardcover set of complete Calvin and Hobbes which I finally fulfilled after keeping my promise of getting first a shelf for it.
3. A family in February
It seems very distant yet so close that something in February had such a deep impact. My mother had a stroke in the first week of the year, and that got us all reeling. As she recuperated gradually, my maasi and maami from Jaipur paid a visit in February. They followed my cousin who was to attend a wedding in the city, and whom I met after a long time. That doesn’t sound so special but to have her sister and sister-in-law together made my mum heal faster. It was her birthday too, and we celebrated with a visit to the attractions in the city: the riverfront, the garden, the market, the street food. And all the joys and smiles that brought to my mother in that time of peril: priceless.
2. Home renovation
Yup, the house is now finally in a very hospitable state. Interiors, furniture, TV, house paint, external walls and more — all somehow got managed in a year when we least expected it to. With that done, we can now focus on something else together as a family albeit given that a house is never in a finished state rather always improving.
Honourable mentions:
- Cats! I finally have a family of stray cats as pets, feeding and playing with them at their will.
- Holi: a festival that I disliked as a kid, and became more vibrant and joyous thanks to my cousins and family friends. The last festival celebrated in normalcy.
- Return of Ganesh: so the cute & kind elephant God made His way back our home after missing out last year, even if it was with social distancing.
- Watched Tenet in a socially-distant, sanitised cinema hall. Couldn’t miss Nolan on the big screen.
1. I got hitched
So it happened! The day that everyone in my family circle had waited for long. I tied the knot this year with Urvashi. Although an arranged setup, my rational mind convinced me to take the plunge as my sceptical heart never failed to raise self-doubts. I was fearful and riddled with anxiety until last hour. Now, I feel blessed to have a loving partner to share my life with, and an expanse of a family to hold on to. After all, life has just begun.
Remember jinx year? Yeah that got flipped in a topsy-turvy 2020. We added a new member instead, and multiplied our happiness.
For resolutions, this time I just want to be a better self. Is it too much to ask? Probably, and not so too.
