2020 is coming to an end, finally! It would be an understatement to say that this unprecedented year tested our resolve in so many ways. Kitty O'Meara aptly captured the year in her poem:

And the people stayed home.
And they listened, and read books, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.
And they listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed.

2020 started for me on a very exciting note. I was determined to pursue my new year resolutions and had plans in place for it. I was also preparing hard for some compelling new job opportunities while being quietly confident about it. March 9th was when I started working from home after new COVID cases surfaced in Pune. As I moved on from Symantec (now Broadcom) after nearly two and half years of working with some of the finest people, my "virtual" farewell introduced me to the effect of lockdown - it was as good as it can be and yet it lacked a certain "feel" that you get when you are around people. Few days later, I joined my new organization "virtually" - considering the circumstances I was both grateful as well as pleasantly surprised with my smooth onboarding. What followed was an extended period where personal life and work challenged each other for the higher ground within the confines of an apartment. I believe that life has more or less been the same for people like me across the world. 

Although it is always adviced to appreciate life, 2020 taught this in it own hard way. It also allowed me to spend some extra time with the near and dear ones "virtually". I tried the recipe of some new dishes, celebrated every weekend and festival with more vigour and spent a considerable amount of time playing multiplayer games. In a nut shell, 2020 was like a curveball and while I did not quite hit a home run, I managed to avoid the strike - and I am more than happy and grateful for it.

I am looking forward to 2021 in a very different way. There is hope that we'll soon see the back of these uncertain times. Until then and beyond, it's time to live in the moment, look at the upside and do the best that I can.

To me and to all, Happy New Year!