Wow I cannot believe this is my last post of 2020. We have made it everyone. This has been an especially difficult year for everyone, our friendships and relationships have been tested. We have been forced to reconcile how we spend out time with what we want with our lives.
ROUND UP & REFLECTIONS
Despite the turmoil, I am thankful for all of the things that 2020 brought us:
- Heightened awareness to the BLM movement and systemic racism (I SAID IT to all the non-wokes)
- The ability to work from home
- Forcing of the legal field to adapt with the times – virtual litigation
- A new appreciation for our frontline and service workers
- Countless meme material
- Tested friendship and relationships
- Started my blog and instagram
- Discovered some great shows and movies on Netflix
This is just a short list I put together but all I can say is that the one thing I am very thankful for is the ability to alive and to witness such a wild and crazy time. In this round up post I will provide a short reflection of what this year has been like and what I hope to achieve in 2021.
2020 was certainly wild. It really kind of ended in March when the world (or at least Toronto) shut down forcing us all to work from home. I remember waiting for the list of essential businesses to be released and being confident that all law firms would be forced to reckon with the fact that they would not be on it.
To my surprise-we were! This meant I still had a job, and I just had to work at home. However this also meant that a ton of small businesses that did not make this list were forced to close and in some cases completely shut down.
Fast forward a few weeks later, footage of George Flloyd being murdered is released. All of a sudden worldwide attention and outrage erupts from what people witnessed, the blatant and brutal murder of a black man at the hands of a white cop. Listen, I know it’s wild to get political and I really do not care. This is my blog where I write about things I care about. Race is one of those things. The protests the looting, the controversy. Those saying and doing nothing and those doing and saying too much. It was the worst. And I cannot lie and say that I was unaffected by all of this because I definitely was not. This time has really tested my ability to be an ally to my black friends.
By the summer, restrictions begin to loosen and we are allowed out with masks of course. I was able to see my friends in outdoor spaces: patios and picnics. I was going into the office once a month to deal with cheques and paperwork that I’d have to sign by hand.
I had friends’ weddings that were cancelled and brides (friends and friends of friends) contacting me about venues that were just being jerks during this time. Anyway, throughout this period I continued to shop from home for clothes and shoes and things that I never got to wear because the world never really got to completely re-open.
Despite all of this, I am glad that I’ve been forced to reckon with things that are a reality for many in this world that I may not have been able to really delve into absent this pandemic. I have learned, listened, worked, rested. We’ve all had to check our privilege and take a real hard look in the mirror to figure out who we are and what we stand for.
Another pretty controversial view is the entire stay at home measures. Don’t get me wrong I totally get it – staying and home and wearing a mask is something that I have been practicing this entire pandemic. I just find it RICH when people are quick to judge others for going to the grocery store, etc. when the hard facts are when you order groceries to your house it is those that are working NOT FROM HOME that are getting these things for you. That cannot be ignored.
On a lighter note if you spend HOURS on netflix here are a few of my favs in 2020 (this may just deserve its own post):
1. Love is Blind
2. Tiger King
3. Indian Matchmaking
4. Working Moms
5. The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives
6. Ozark
This is of course not my usual post but I hope whoever is reading this can relate or appreciate this type of content. The thing about this blog is I am really just trying to make this a as personal and real as possible. I know sometimes it’s frowned up on to write or speak about such taboo topics (especially in workplace settings for example). I try to make this a judgement free and open zone.
GOALS
I am not really into the pressure that comes with changes and the new year but one thing that I can certainly get behind is goal setting. I try to keep it simple and basic when it comes to my goals so that I’m not faced with the daunting possibility of failure and also so that I am able to change and be flexible with my goals as well.
This year my objective is to continue being consistent with my blog and producing valuable content and everything that comes with that. I am also exploring a low-buy year since my spending has gotten out of control and I really want to hunker down on my loan repayment. A post about this is definitely on the horizon so stay tuned.
Another goal for 2020 is really to just travel more, enjoy the post-pandemic life and savour the moments when we’re finally able to gather (whenever that may be).
Let me know what 2020 has taught you and perhaps some realizations that you had during the lockdown that you likely would never had otherwise.
