THE YEAR 2020
31st December 2019, the day was normal for me as I had no new year party plans. I hardly get excited for such days. I was returning home from my tuitions and I saw an accident in front me. I couldn’t help the victim due to shock. I reached home safely and continued my chores. Around 1 or 2 am midnight I have received a message, that was my cue that how the year was going to be.
Days passed, March, time for Holi celebrations. This year holi bought a gift with it. LOCKDOWN. For me it was like, one morning I woke parents restricted from going out and then I went to sleep again. This was because I wasn’t much active with news and social media. In India, lockdown was itself made into a festival. One evening we had to clap for Frontline warriors whereas the other evening we had to switch off lights for 5 mins. I had no idea what was going outside, the casualties or anything; I was in my room- sleeping.
Days passed and the lockdown restrictions were slackened a bit. The month of June. A month I cannot forget easily. I had learned more things and experiences than years combined in that month. Reason- dad passed away.
I did not had the time to mourn for him because I had to see my family and handle his business. But I had the time to learn and realize things. I did not expect anything from any person except one. And he was not there. It was bad. Thankfully there were people with whom my other family members pour their heart out. But I had become a closed book.
On the positive side, I met a lot of new people. And surprisingly one of the person became my mentor. Obviously not guiding in my personal matters but in other things, I learned a lot from him. He’s gem of a person. And if you are reading this, gracias!
Many people quoted the year 2020 as the "worst" year due to various reasons. For me it was the best. Dad is free of all the struggle and misery of this human life. He’s free from all the pain, failure and most importantly he found his peace. Whenever I miss him I remember Klaus’s line "don’t be afraid you go now where many have gone before you and where even I will go in time. Just now there will be no more pain, no more struggle. You will find peace."
Counting on the positive side, I unknowingly inherited strength from him. Got a lot of field work experiences, my communication skills enhanced. The weather somewhere restored to a little better. I became a night owler. Likewise I got experience of what home arrest can be, courtesy: lockdown.
Considering the positives and negatives of yesteryear, it was a good year for me. Pretty happy with the learnings and experiences I had. A good better year. Signing off!
