The Year that Changed Everything

The year 2020 has been a year like no other! In 2020 New year’s eve, looking at fireworks and thinking about the figure “2020”, I believed from all of my heart that it was going to be a special year. Little did anyone know what surprises were headed our way. As the year draws to a close, we have a tendency to  leave the past behind, and start planning for the year ahead.  Also about facing new challenges with a fresh perspective. For many, the new year is a time to start over with a clean slate. But 2020 has been a year of realizing that what we thought was solid ground beneath our feet was in fact a cliff that would crumble away with just a bit of natural erosion, or even one strong blow. So at the arrival of 2021, I would like to take this opportunity to pause and think about the year 2020 has been.

I think it’s fair to say no one expected 2020 to turn out like it did, it was like no other year we’ve experienced in our lifetimes.  It began with the warmest January in history. Then the COVID-19 pandemic started around spring time. That may be why it felt less heavy, less depressing at that time. Some of us rather thought that this forced still was very good for the humankind. It may be so, but by now many people regardless of country or age feel sad, anxious, and lonely. Every effort to contain the situation seems to target our physical health. At the end of 2019, I planned so many things, but as pandemic unfurled, and my plans started to crumble, and I was forced to surrender the year of my dreams to the year of 2020’s reality. Of course, 2020 has not been a complete disaster. Frankly, there have been many really terrific things that have topped my happy list in 2020. Especially because I launched JustGiji.com, and Just Giji YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/JustGiji along with many countless blessings by the grace of God. And moreover, I am so grateful for waking up with a roof over my head, knowing that my loved ones are ok!

2020 is a year that the world asked “why?” More than ever before, we asked so many “why” questions. While “coronavirus” was the top trending search worldwide, we also asked questions like “why is it called covid-19?”,  “why is mental health important?”, “why do people dream?”, etc.  “When will this pandemic end?” is a question we’ve heard with increasing frequency this year. In the final weeks of 2020, it seemed the world is closer to getting an answer, as vaccines begin to slowly roll out across the world, offering hope for an end to a pandemic that’s devastated lives and livelihoods around the world. Even while so many of us stayed home, we looked for ways to connect, support and understand each other. Despite everything happening around us, we stayed optimistic and looked for creative ways to spend our time. This year searches for “sourdough bread recipe” hit an all-time high. 

And as tough as it has been, I think all of us have learned a few lessons we can use as we move into what hopefully will be a happier, healthier 2021. 2020 might not be my favorite year ever, but it certainly has been the most eye opening year of my life.  As we grow older, we learn new lessons and become better versions of ourselves. No matter the outcome, part of any goal is continuing the journey. And I would like to share some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from 2020 so far, and why I’m personally thankful for those lessons:

Nothing is Constant

Nothing ever stays the same! We live in a world of change, but sometimes, we forget that. While we all, on some level, know that change is inevitable, somehow it’s a concept that’s often easy to forget. However, 2020 was a blunt reminder of that reality and the need to be better prepared.

The Basic Things are not Basic

We learned; food, drinking water, sanitation, health care, and shelter are the basic needs not only for essential survival, but for long term physical , and mental well-being!  Many of us may not realize that if it weren’t for all the things happening in 2020. And we never know when would be the last time we see our family, friends and people we care about. And we don’t always have the chance to say goodbye.  And a healthy body, a breathing lung, a beating heart, these things we take for granted can all be taken away from us any moment. 

Authentic Relationships

What makes the world a great place to live in are the kinds of people in it. And 2020 has helped us to see it clearer. Difficult times show us that the real face of life, and the real face of people. Some people are friends and some are just acquaintances. It’s ok if we don’t have a lot of friends. We have to let people go to and free up the space for someone that deserves it. A small and tight circle can be the best support network. Time is a limited resource, don’t waste it for people and things that don’t add value to our life. With the extra time we had at home, made a great opportunity to build stronger bonds with our real friends. My friends and I started to schedule virtual dates. We shared the fun, and happy time we had in the past, as well as sharing pictures, and videos. FaceTime, and Zoom became our conference room for many, many topics, and even life in general. The isolation has deepened our connection, surprisingly.  And this is one of the reasons I think 2020 was bittersweet!

Happiness is Self-created

We only have the present moment. The past is only a memory and the future is not promised! 2020 is the year that forever changed us all. It forced us to slow down, give up things, and despite our best wishes for things to go back to normal, I think we all slowly realized with each passing moment that we might not ever fully return to the way things were before. We learned not to compare with ourselves to others, because everyone is unique, and gifted in someway. Only we know what best for us, so we learned to trust ourselves.  We learned to let go of the expectations in almost everything from the people we interact with. And not to let our ego bruise when we don’t meet them.  Most of all, we learned, self care is a priority, not a privilege, and happiness always comes from within.

Be Grateful

A simple list of things that we learned to be grateful for in our life is; our family and friends(for being there for us whenever we need them), our good health, our immune system(for fighting viruses that enter our body), the five senses (smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch), the beautiful mother nature, our home, and most importantly ourselves (for being who we are and touching the world with our presence).

With that said, 2020 might have been hard, but there’s a reason for it and a purpose. Through every hardship, battle, and trial we’re faced with while on this earth, there is a purpose behind it and a lesson to be learned. 

As we say goodbye to 2020, let’s remember the good, the happy, the heroes, the solidarity. And I wold like to share one of my most favorite quotes:
 “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” ~ Brad Paisley

Cheers to health, happiness, and prosperity in 2021!

Just Giji