This year has been a humdinger. There’s no two ways about it! Millions of people globally have suffered, even died, directly and indirectly as a result of COVID-19. Against the backdrop of this level of tragedy, it’s no wonder the initial reaction of many is to want to throw this year in the bin. I absolutely understand, and yet, I refuse to do the same. Although many of us started back in January with all sorts of 2020 visions that never came to pass, there is light to be found amongst the darkness. If we want to move forward, it’s on us to seek that light.
One of the best places to start when reflecting on a tough year is always gratitude. Yes, a bunch of stuff might have kicked you in the face or slipped through your grasp this year, but I’ll bet you there was some good stuff too. If you think back across those months of uncertainty, there will have been some moments of joy, some good news, some belly laughs that had you snorting like a pig. We are human beings, after all, and life has a habit of marching on regardless! In periods of anxiety and sadness this year, I have made a concerted effort to practice gratitude and it has really helped to shift my mindset. You don’t have to write in a journal, tell someone, or even say it out loud, but just taking those moments to flip the script from negative to positive can be so powerful. When I look back on 2020 I’ve found myself thinking “what can we learn from this year?” What positives can we take away from the year we stayed at home? Incoming: a list of my top three.
The value of slowing down. It’s funny, when your only real directive is to stay at home, an incredible thing happens. Without the commute, the school drop-off, a social life to manage… you suddenly have permission to slow the f*** down. There’s no timetable, nowhere to be and nowhere to go. When lockdown hit, a large slice of our daily stress and reason to produce adrenaline disappeared overnight. Globally, we’ve discovered a brand new pace of life over the course of this year, and I for one am totally here for it.
The value of community. I felt this one in my bones during the first lockdown, especially the first Thursday night we stepped outside to clap for our NHS heroes and key workers. Here we were, confined to our homes and yet coming together, to show appreciation for the people that really keep our country running. It was a beautiful, heart-warming, human moment and I will take it to my grave.
The value of kindness. I can’t tell you how many local initiatives have popped up this year to enable people to help each other in different ways. Whether it’s sending a random card to your friend, picking up medicine for someone on your street or delivering your shopping to your nan, I’ve never seen so much evidence of so much kindness. We’ve been forced to get out of our own heads and look around us at what everyone else needs. Without human contact, we’ve found myriad ways to support each other and to connect. We’ve rediscovered the value of kindness.
As we look to 2021, I hope that we can hold onto these values and take them with us into the future. Coronavirus has inflicted such deep tragedy on so many lives, but for me, the only way I can move forward from that is by finding the lesson. To find the light in the darkness, I believe we must honour this tragedy by not returning to our old ways, but truly embracing the spirit of “you only live once”. I don’t believe 2020 should be written off, but honoured and held up as an example of what humanity can achieve in the face of adversity, when we slow down, connect and show each other a little kindness. Here’s to 2021, my friends, may it be a happy, healthy and hilarious one for us all!