Devashree Bhandare
What life taught me recently…
The year ‘2020’, which we thought would be a year full of come backs was unfortunately a year that will give us thrills in the future even at the thought of its numerical. ‘2020’ the year of the inevitable pandemic ‘Covid-19’ was a pretty rough one for all of us.
Not blaming the pandemic completely but there are other things too that I realized, which were very shocking and least expected to happen. This by gone year has taught me a lot besides new words like quarantine, social distancing, work from home, etc.
This year and this phase of my life has given me a reality check and a changed perspective to life. In fact, this year has been a great blessing as it taught us all of it which we would probably never realize if we were still scheduled in our everyday routine.
This rash break had to be enforced in our journeys, for us to realize what our car would have crashed to on the road ahead if we never pushed this break. I am forever grateful to this year despite what it put each one of us through.
Firstly, I would never realize the importance of people if we weren’t separated from one another. We never knew all of sudden we all were going to be separated for almost 9 months. I have missed all my friends and close ones. But, yes it taught me also that being alone at home being creative, on your own will help myself to know me better.
Yes, we all cribbed initially but yes didn’t it teach us that life still goes on even if you are alone? You is really what matters in the end. ‘You’ come here alone and go alone. It’s going to be me in the end that will be there when I will have no one to hold up to.
This I would never learn if this didn’t happen. I have had breakups with two of my dear ones who chose their lover over our friendship. Eventually they realized that friendship is more constant than a toxic relationship.
This was a major eye opener for me. This phase taught me who really and dearly love me, who stood by me when I needed emotional support. This taught me that whatever happens is for a solid reason which we all must be grateful for.
I value people more as I know how it feels to be abandoned when you need a shoulder to cry on. I am so grateful to the man above for placing such situations on me that made me realize I am just enough for myself. I have accepted situations like never before and moved on.
This was the first time ever I had friendship breakups at the least expected time with the most unexpected people for the least expected reason ever.
My sister is in the cabin crew and was infected by the virus. We all were in a state with so many things going on in our minds. My parents have crossed 50, so it was me nursing my elder sister all the time. We were so conscious about the fact that now people would abandon us for the obvious reason. Miraculously people were empathetic.
Get well soon texts from our neighborhood, great medication help from our landlords was so unexpected. We all were well catered too with our needs. This taught me that, humanity still exists after having harsh times too. As a result, I also helped such people stuck at home, sometimes physically or by sending positive messages to them.
There are two major things I have learnt which I will never unlearn, that is ‘faith’ and ‘gratefulness’. There were so many situations that have happened to me, where sometimes I couldn’t even digest them. I only simply had one resort that was to accept the mess and have faith that everything happens for the good.
Having faith in the fact that whatever I have lost would be replaced with something better by God. If something that was not for me came with frustration, hesitation and difficulties but what was for me came in smoothly at the right time.
Lastly, gratitude is something everyone must have in them. It is like someone is praying for one of those things out of the million things you already have by God’s grace. There were so many people far from their families, homeless, hopeless, with no food and basic needs to survive in this breakthrough time, still we were sitting in fully furnished homes cribbing.
Looking at helpless people, I felt that I have so much, like a roof on my head, food for my hunger, clean water and sanitation. What else I need to be safer. I feel good that I have so much extra too where people don’t even have the ‘b’ of the basics.
Yes, this year was like the Earth giving out unexpected group punishment to reinstall the feeling of humanity that all of us had lost when we were too busy modernizing.
Since the entire world was home the nature has just got its relief. We humans have been really cruel to nature so it is high time we realize its importance too. It is good to acknowledge the fact that there were so many people out there working to provide essential services to us.
Really this year has been a blessing in disguise of a nightmare. Be grateful for you survived through such a year and may this capacity lead you in further instances of life. Life is really small, we need to appreciate every small little thing. Who knew the last time I came back home from our college was the last time I would see my friends.
This year showed us how life is unexpected. We all had plans for the year and ahead, but that’s how it is, nothing can be planned in the journey of life as it has unexpected roads it wants us to meet. This year was the cross road where life showed us paths ahead but left it on us which one to choose to lead to our destination.
