What a Year ! Bye Bye 2020

Phew, what a year! This year has been weird, unusual, uncertain, abnormal, emotionally draining, and the list goes on. It has been a wild ride until now and I am sure all of us are ready for this year to end! We all feel like nothing good has happened this year. However in darkness there is always a ray of light. So I went back into my memories of this year to find that ray of light. I would like to take you through it and please share yours in the comments below, I would love to see it. So here are the top 5 things that I look back on in 2020 that made me happy. 

They are not in any order, pretty much just like this year.

Turning 16 and passing my 10th standard.

These both were bound to happen in the same year or well I was hoping it would. If you have read my blog about my board exams then you would know that it was delayed due to COVID and then later cancelled. The few months of uncertainty where I didn’t know if my boards would happen or not made the news of it ending was very relieving. And after my 10th grade, I turned 16 years old. Even though it was a lockdown birthday there was no scarcity of love and blessings I got. 16 years old! It is quite a milestone I would say. Just 2 years more, until I am allowed to drive! My dad’s the most excited about that.

Starting Tynkrr

On august 15 2020, I started tynkrr a social media platform of teens. I have written a blog about it and you can find it here. I had this idea in my head since November of last year and made it a reality in August after I turned 16. I haven’t worked on it much and it is something that I plan on doing next year. However I believe starting something of your own is a huge step too and I am extremely proud of it and stand by its purpose and idea. Thus it makes my top 5.

Spending time with family

Lockdown and restriction on outside movement kept us indoors and we invariably started spending a lot of time with our families. I spent some quality time with my family and loved every minute of it. This time has definitely taught us a lot about each other and brought us closer than we were. We tried new recipes, started going for walks together and did everything together. And the last week of December we travelled by car and right now are here in Aurangabad to spend time with our extended family and celebrate the new year together. We are meeting after almost a year and this was a much needed break from our regular lives. We now realise how much of an impact loved ones make in your life. Like I said in one of my previous blogs called ‘Quarenteens are you psyched’ yet', right at the beginning of the COVID-19, “the stock values might have come down but the value of friends and family has gone up”. 

Being safe and healthier

I think a big achievement this year is being safe from COVID-19. Fortunately ,my family and I did not catch the virus. However other than that being at home could be harmful for our physical as well as mental health. Being isolated as well as having less outdoor time can have a big effect on our bodies. During the start of the lockdown with strict restriction I tried to do as much I could do at home however it is hard to stay motivated when you have the option of sitting in your bed which is right next to you. And even when  the restrictions loosened we got so used to being at home that it became a task to go out. However luckily for me both my parents are into fitness and went for daily walks and tagged me along. Note that, we always had masks on and continued practicing social distancing. It might not be a lot of distance but a contact with any of the 5 elements is refreshing and makes you happy. However for me the biggest achievement is waking up early. I am not at all a morning person and hate waking up early but since the last month and a half. I have been waking up earlier than usual and going out for walks with my parents. Other than it being fitness, it helped me spend even more time with my parents. Also it has made me fall in love with mornings and made me less grumpy in the morning and during the day. 

Trying new things 

“When one door closes another opens.” 

Even with a lot of restrictions, I got a lot of new opportunities to try new things. First of all I took part in my first Model UN. I wrote a blog about it, check it out here. It has been on my list since a long time and even though it was online, I learned a lot from it. 

Second I got the chance to facilitate an episode of Beyond the Track by Hyderabad Runners. You can check out the link here. The guest was Aruna Reddy, who was the first Indian Gymnast to win a medal in the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship and her coach Manoj Rana. You check out the video here. I got to interview them and it was one of the best opportunities that I have gotten. Moreover, they called me back to do the Welcome and Vote of thanks for another episode starring Kieran D'Souza. 

So what next?

It is end of the year, end of the decade! As I step into this new decade, I am excited, nervous and curious about what the future holds. The next decade is going to be maybe the most important one for me and many others too. We have also gone through so much this year which taught us that anything can happen. All we can do is look forward to this new year and do our best! As for me, I hope I keep blogging more, work on Tynkrr and try to focus on academics too.

We have gotten through this year but we couldn't have without the people we love. I would like to thank everyone for helping me get through this year. I would also like to thank all the people who have been reading my blogs and giving me feedback be it good or critical. You keep me motivated to keep doing it. I am grateful for each one of you.

Let me end with this quote from one of my favourite TV shows, Brooklyn 99-

“Life is unpredictable, not everything is in our control but as long as you are with the right people you can handle anything”

So I wish you a happy and fruitful 2021. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay happy! I will see you again in the new decade.