Goodbye 2020!thank you for the life lessons you had taught me.
2020 in few hours you will be gone for good.You would be remembered by many but in different ways.
Some will remember you for the heartaches you caused.The coronavirus or covid 19 as it is popularly called has bring in havoc no one is ever ready for.It has claimed millions of lives across the globe.Bringing everyone to their knees with thousands going homeless ,hungry ,jobless and depressed with the social distancing and lockdowns in place .
Some will remember them for the sacrifices others made .Shoutout to healthcare worker's,farmers,grocery attendants,truckdrivers ,delivery guys,garbage collectors ,taxi drivers who dared to do their job while others were asked to work and study from home to avoid more transmission.
Home was the safest place to be for many but we also heared reports of increased domestic abuse and opiod death to those unlucky ones .It was a time where many claim they had most family time together making DIY projects or boardgames.
Families and friends were restrained from many large group gathering and because of this many establishments have to declare bancruptcy despite government assistance. It was a time where one dies without seeing their loved ones in person .
For people who likes to travel like me it was like being put into solitary confinement without any opportunity of parole.When this pandemic finish I am surely gonna tire my legs to see more of this beautiful country called Canada.
With international trips restrictions and with limited store capacity everywhere -to many it was also a time for price gouging,hoarding and in the opposite end selfless sharing.Many have donated their time ,talent and resources so healtcare workers have their personal protective equipment and for the temperature sensitive vaccine be stored safely.
It was a time of great paranoia.I remember I was bullied by a man while my cousin and I were on a stroll.He kept calling us "chinky"in reference to the fact that the virus was first reported in Wuhan,China.We had to pretend taking video of him so we can go unscathed past him.
Because of this pandemic, Iwas forced to ask the dreaded questions I often swept under my feet.I ended a relationship I cherished too much for too long but was not mutually satisfying.It broke my heart to many million pieces I end up drinking a whole bottle of wine for Christmas and another for new year.How do you grieve for a man who string you along for 13 years with promise of marriage while he fucks another girl and repeatedly lie to you?
It was a time where people keep list of people you interact with for easier contact tracing.But here I am feeling like I never existed to this man as he did not bother to explain his disappeance or care about my existence .
Modern technology was a bliss and a curse rolled into one.It makes the depression inevitable when you know you have friends and family who do not have time to cheer you up even if it was cheap and easy.It enables virtual learning but it lacks the social interaction schools provides .It makes false news faster to spread yet it also allows for online food and product deliveries,virtual concerts,business transactions possible.
Virtual medical consultation was common but personally nothing beats getting your labwork done without worrying you get more than what you consulted for.Did I tell you I had to have a very expensive dental extraction at whooping sum of 900 cad in the middle of lockdown that it makes me feel either cursed or just plain unlucky?But then again when you think of countless patients having their surgeries canceled because healthcare was scarce and overworked who am I to complain?
This virus had exposed the great disparity between the first world and the underdeveloped countries like where I come from when it comes to their social amelioration response and even the covid 19 vaccine roll-out.
Yes 2020 was a time like no other.It was a time where you count your blessings than your sorrows.It was getting your priotities right as the future isn't promised to anyone.I found myself listing on my gratitide notebook people ,experiences,personal attributes,and hundred of things like good health that money cant buy.It was a time where I wake up at three am and cry myself for no particular reason with the range of emotions flooding through me.
I am sure many questioned God why this grim timeline was necessary. I certainly asked him where he was in my day to day struggles with this novel virus that is now mutating as we speak.But to end ,I find myslef humbled that even with the wonders of science we have not completely fathomed the depths of this virus.I have to be a hypocrite if I would say I survive 2020 without God.Because truly 2020 has tested every relationship I count on.For what its worth,it revealed to me the nature and depth of these human interactions,God's endless mercy and how everything around me is magical.For this I am eternally grateful for this year 2020
