The Enduring Times of the Year 2020

Happy New Year everyone! It is such a relief to finally say goodbye to the year 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic. Most of us are full of hope for what’s coming up for 2021. This is supposed to be a yearend article but the last days left me stunned due to some events. Forgive me to start a bit of a melancholic post, but for whatever it’s worth, we always look back at the past, the enduring times of the Year 2020.

Christmas Holidays in Cyprus

Last year, I wrote a festive holiday in Cyprus for the year 2019. But with the pandemic, we all went through a lot of changes in our celebrations and it also affected traditions.

Middle of 2020, Cyprus showed a graceful exit of the coronavirus lockdown with about 1,000 cases at the time of writing. And when autumn and winter came, we were on the verge of going lockdown again and so did other European countries. Daily cases are running by hundreds with Cyprus having a population of one million. A new variant of the virus is already detected on the island. Infections are going out of control.

So, we didn’t have a lockdown (or not just yet); though there were extra measures during the holidays.

• Malls, cafes, and restaurants are close. Only retail stores outside malls continue to operate.
• There are church services but restricted to churchgoers. As for me, I hear mass online.
• Cancellation of Christmas fairs.
• Christmas and New Year’s gatherings are restricted to a number of ten guests. During Christmas we only have 4 guests.
• We are still on a curfew. So on New Year’s eve, after 12MN, and wishing everyone Happy New Year, we head home before 1 AM curfew.

So, this wasn’t the usual way in celebrating the holidays. Yet we made sure to give meaning and bring joy in our hearts. Aren’t we glad, to enjoy the feasts and be with our loved ones, and friends?

Reviewing 2020

I dedicate this part as my personal review of what this year has been. The majority calls it to definitely delete this year. And I agree on so many points, yet I still find a number of reasons why this year’s existence is as important as every year. Here is a rundown of some events, good and not so good and that life just happens.

• Got married in January 2020 (yay! our first anniversary in a few weeks).
• Death in the family on both sides last February.
• Coronavirus became pandemic in March, and that was my last travel too.
• During lockdown, gardening is my new hobby.
• I keep on writing more articles in my blog and connect with the blogging community, thanks to several peer recognition awards and blog features.
• Read more books and post reviews at Merrative website plus a live session, being the first international guest.
• The job hunt is still unsuccessful due to freeze hiring.
• An addition to our family is a fur baby cat, named Mina. We are not cat lovers but now we are smitten by a cat! We achieve a status quo of 2 dogs ( we have 2 bossy Pomeranians) and a cat. It works!
• Some of my friends got the coronavirus, thankfully they are OK now.
• Joined the pranic healing community for meditation and healing sessions.
• More sickness and deaths from friends (one recent, just after Christmas).

My day ends with gratitude including the minutest detail of the day. This keeps me going that despite unhappy events, there are countless reasons to appreciate on a daily basis. Although there are times, when hit with the lowest moments, I am overwhelmed. Yes, it’s just so much to ponder on.

Indeed the enduring times of the Year 2020…

Happy New Year!

The Cards for 2021

My instagram post:

What shall be the cards for 2021?

So many uncertainties and still a waiting game.

Isn’t it like drawing a card from the pile? Will it give you a good series, or unusable card that you throw anyway (maybe the next player picks it up), or a joker that you can do anything with!

Will we remain victorious after this round?

Just thoughts while playing birimba on New Year’s eve.

Final thoughts

Anything can happen. I choose to remain hopeful that things will get better and on the other hand, stocking up a lot of strength just in case. We have to be resilient to get through with this. Humility and kindness go a long way, to make a difference in someone’s life.

Having faith is believing that things will be alright soon and having enough grace and strength. Also with this, comes the gift of friends or strangers who will help you out in various ways. What I’m trying to say is never give up!

Apart from the sad events, my heart is still torn by the ongoing injustices such as the rising cases of domestic abuses, corruption, terrorist activities, and heartless individuals.

What else does one have to endure? Isn’t these more than enough?

With loss and sorrow plaguing the previous year, Healing is my word for this year and for the years to come. And yes the whole world needs this too.

Dear fellow readers, how was your 2020? What are your thoughts for the New Year?