Uff. Wow. What a year.
Ups and downs and the world turned upside down.
At the beginning of the year, in my post «Looking back», I wrote that I wanted to come to rest for a while. I didn’t know how soon that wish would actually come true.
If 2019 was the year of travelling, moving, constantly meeting new people, 2020 was spending more time in my family’s own four walls than I probably have since I was a kid and barely seeing any new faces. From constantly changing places I went to staying put in one spot for the greatest part of the year.
Re-starts and new starts.
Beginning and leading a long-distance relationship in pandemic times. Worrying about closed borders and quarantine requirements while building on love and affection and trust. Bridges over troubled water.
My first semester of studies. I finally had to use Zoom myself after hearing all kinds of anecdotes about it from friends. Distance learning and my bedroom turning into my study headquarters, alternating between library and music hall.
Some health issues. Nothing too severe, but still enough to get to know the doctor’s office better than I would’ve liked to…
Learning to prioritise and developing new habits like my morning yoga practice. Falling into a new routine, reorganising and learning to establish my own schedule and to stick to it.
Missing my friends though I’m living closer to them than I have in a while. Lots of Skype calls. Even my grandma is learning to use Skype, although reluctantly. It turns out that life in slow motion pushes the fast-forward button on some changes.
Patience. It has not been a year for rushing. Bread takes time to rise. Seedlings need time to grow. Improvement and recovery don’t happen overnight.
At times, it overcomes me, la nostalgie des pays lointains – nostalgia for faraway countries. And at the same time, I feel safe and secure here. Temporary standstill, a break to recollect ourselves. Right now, this is enough.
My year in a nutshell.
What about yours?