2021 has been a year unlike any other before. The year started with a lot of hope and optimism with the vaccines around the corner and a hopeful end to the pandemic. As the vaccine administration and coverage increased over time, the hope could only increase. And then came the second wave in April/May. I have never experienced such an horrific time in my entire life. People were desperately crying for help in all directions and ambulance sirens were screaming non-stop for two months. The second wave was even more numbing because it hit people in our immediate circle. It was a stark reminder that human life is just too fragile. I personally lost a fine and young colleague, full of life and enthusiasm, leaving a 4 year old daughter fatherless. Nothing could be more tragic. Lots of other friends and family members needed hospitalisation. Covid after-effects traumatised even after people returned back home. And finally when things started to look up again, Omicron quickly put us back in our place. As I type this, the infection has started spreading rampantly and we start the new year with much less optimism and anxiety than last year.
While the above paragraph presents a dark picture, there were also a lot of positives. Most people volunteered time, effort and money to help in whatever they could. Even in my own office, Microsoft, lots and lots of people spent time tirelessly calling the ever busy BBMP lines to get beds, arrange oxygen cylinders, schedule RT-PCR tests etc. What stood out was that almost all the volunteers were so empathetic to the affected folks. In fact, quite a few of them came back to volunteer after they themselves recovered from the illness. This was one of those occasions where so many people made that big difference in other peoples lives. On retrospection, how people reacted during those trying times definitely helped restore some faith in humanity, in otherwise a world that is only getting more and more polarised by the day,
On the personal front, one of the biggest wins was that I was able to continue my intermittent fasting the entire year. IF has been really good to me and it has helped keep my body weight and fat percentage in check. This has helped my running immensely, so much so that I clocked my PBs (Personal Best Timings) across all the different race categories. I clocked 3:38 in the virtual marathon in January and 43:26 for 10K in October. Both these times were almost unthinkable a few years ago. IF and regular training had a huge role to play in that.
Another huge positive was that we WFH'ed the entire year. This meant that I did not need to cross Silk board. Nothing can be more music to a South Bangalorean than that.
One thing where I would definitely want to improve in 2022 is in writing. My neighbour introduced me to the blog of his cousin, Bhaskar. I was just blown away by both the quality and quantity of his publications. I do not know Bhaskar personally, but he has just shown a mirror to me, striking down all my excuses for lack of time in a single stroke. I would really like to draw inspiration from him and slowly get started here. Or at least, make an earnest effort.
Even if not annus mirabilis, I hope 2022 will be the year where we see the light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic and life slowly limps back to the pre-pandemic days. Personally, I hope I continue to do a few things, but mindfully and consistently. Topping that list is of course reading, writing and learning music. And hopefully a sub 3:30 marathon.
To quote Walt Disney - "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them". I really hope that 2022 is when I find that courage and more.
