A big hello to you who has taken some time out and is reading this now. I know we are 16 days into 2022, but here is me wishing you a very late Happy New Year!
After a long hiatus from writing and creating, I have finally conjured up my strength to pick up the pen and scribble my thoughts onto a blank ruled page. Last year was not a great year to begin or end with, yet, it has taught us a lot. I remember the brilliant, the worse, the meh and not so meh moments—another year of COVID-19 that mutated to be the deadliest variant claiming uncountable lives. 2021 has especially been tough on us all—the second wave mercilessly wiping people in masses, the job switch and hunt, burning out and breaking down, and dealing with personal chaos—it was indeed an intense year. At the end of June 2021, my father was at the hospital fighting for every ounce of oxygen to keep him alive. His COVID symptoms escalated and became a full-fledged pneumonia that harmed approximately 51% of his lungs. At the same time, my other family members too got infected but all recovered in the end. As I am writing this, I tested COVID positive on 14 January 2022— after 3 days of fluctuating fever, cold and congestion. My symptoms are manageable, but I do feel heavy headed at times due to cough and congestion in my chest.
But not everything was grey and gloomy. This was the year where I got to channel my skills in different creative activities that I thought was almost impossible to nurture as a full-time working professional. Yet I found my zen in growing indoor plants (I am eagerly waiting to repot my soggy and grey aloe vera’s as I write this), baking variety of scrumptious cakes (yes, I made a #Dalgona cake), learning watercolour painting and using a bullet journal for tracking my habits. I have engaged in some amazing discussions with talented individuals, thanks to Instagram; I am on my path to learn and do more. There was also a huge improvement in my workout routine whilst tracking my progress and figuring my ventures for upcoming years. I find myself in better mental health after switching to a new opportunity that is exciting and enjoyable. And there is so much more to keep progressing amidst the odds outside.
What will I focus on in 2022?
Firstly, I aim to recover from COVID because I miss my olfactory and gastronomic senses. The fact that I am a walking hazard to anyone around me has kept me holed up in my bedroom for most of the time. Other things to focus on will be:
- Maintain my exercise routine and enjoy the process
- Complete the online courses to upskill in different areas
- Read books but don’t stress too much on the number of books read per year
- Create a plan to space out my writing and social media content creation
- Continue practising calligraphy and painting
- Learn Sign language and meditation
- Increase and diversify my investments portfolio
- Build my personal brand
- Grow basil and wild rocket indoors
I hope this year we can take some time to rest and slow down our pace. Appreciate what we have and be grateful for things that we will earn along the way. Most importantly stay safe, healthy and aim big.
Thank you so much for reading this post. Cheers!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Eternally Bonkers 