Looking back, Looking ahead

I usually don't write, but there is just so much to reflect on the incredible year gone by, that I thought it is worth a try as we start the new year.

I am sure all of us have seen more in this one year than in the long time. 2020 was the new decade, a decade that will usher interesting changes to many things around us. Many things did change and a lot happened. Much of it not imagined or anticipated and a lot that we want to move beyond. The changes were fast and widespread, so much so that we are still trying to keep up, find our answers and adjust to them, yet hoping that things will be back to some version of the normal, something we can relate to, live with.

 The year showed us a range of shades and what a collage it was. It has been sombre as families and friends have had to cope with difficult times. It has been spirited as people rallied around issues and humanity shone through. It has been uplifting to see the sheer effort and commitment from people to fight back. It has shown that innovation is possible even in the darkest hour. It has proven that, resilience is our ultimate strength as we deal with this volatile reality. I have seen friends rejoice as they get to spend time with families, connect with long lost friends and many found time for their forgotten passions. At the same time, I have seen them struggle with losses at personal level. I have seen the kids struggle with this new world and finding ways to cope in their own way - not saying much, but still being resilient. I have seen elder parents braving this year in a spirited manner - more watchful about our health, than worrying about their own. I have seen colleagues doubling down and challenging themselves to deliver, I would say, stellar performances. The range of experiences and emotions has covered the full spectrum one can imagine.

 Personally, I managed to find the energy to keep up. I am sure there are parts, especially on home front, where I still have to do more, but I have enjoyed many parts of the year. It will be the year of records that will stay through my lifetime (though the adage 'never say never' becomes even more real). I may have joked about it, but I will never be home this long, without a flight till I hit stop on my life itself. It has been that year when my kids and wife saw me around the longest - for good or for bad. The longest no travel period meant time for everything else - most regular with my fitness regime (hitting 200+ days of fitness for the year), and probably healthy eating that comes from staying at home. At the same time, it is the longest to have not delved into the little pleasures of life outside of the house - of meeting friends and family, of eating out, of traveling and being the free spirit. I have many memories I will cherish - as a family, we have found time to play games, cooked and baked, done movie nights and had lunches and dinners and many small things that had always been nigh impossible in the not so recent past. The flavor of this last year has been a heady mix of the spice, the sweet and the savoury.

 Am sure we will reflect on 2020 in our own ways and will have wide variations in our take from the year, but despite everything, there will be a lot to learn from, a lot to cherish and hopefully a lot of wisdom on what is important and how we should think about our priorities in life. I hope you all ended 2020 in a positive note. I hope you have all emerged stronger, demonstrated resilience, spent time with the loved ones, made fantastic memories that you will cherish for life and found learnings of a lifetime.

2021 is a year of hope, of new beginnings. It promises to be better, but not necessarily easier, at least not immediately. We have a lot to look forward to and I wish you all the best. I hope that you get a chance to get back to doing things you love, yet keeping a bit of the lives we lived in 2020. Life will never be the same again, yet in every way, we would have moved forward.