Most of us perform a ritual as the year comes to a close. We look back in retrospect at the bygone days and gaze forward in anticipation of what the future holds for us.
The year 2020 held us all in a threatening grip. If we were to analyze 2020 and assess it, we could say that it has been an extremely tumultuous year. Considering the global impact and spread of the COVID-19 crisis, it would not be an exaggeration to say that this virus has turned the world topsy-turvy.
It was mid-January when I got back to the United States after a relaxing holiday with my family in India. Not even for a moment did I think that there would be such a dramatic turn of events that would literally shake the world.
It touches my heart every time US President-elect Joe Biden mentions the empty chair at a table in his speeches. It is so visual and real! How heartbreaking is it that so many families all over the world have had their loved ones being taken from them? With a breakthrough in COVID vaccines, let us hope and pray that precious human lives are saved and that they are no longer at the mercy of this deadly virus.
Seeing the rainbow beyond the clouds
A crisis always gives us the opportunity to look at life with a different perspective. We either fret and complain about what we are missing out on, or we end up being thankful. This is indeed the time to take into consideration the fact that things could have been much worse without anything that we currently have.
I do not believe in making resolutions for the New Year. Instead, I would like to end this year by concentrating on anything good that has happened in my life. The pandemic has reinforced with greater strength what I have learned in the past. Gratitude, positivity, and acceptance are the values that I have made my mantras.
Looking far beyond anything that did not work out well or has made me sad, I am grateful for every joyous second that I have shared with near and dear ones. I consider myself blessed to have been bestowed with those moments of happiness. I am equally thankful for all the days of good health that each of us have enjoyed.
Writing has always been therapeutic for me. I have written at a greater frequency during this entire pandemic period compared to previous years. I consider myself fortunate for the friendships I have made over the course of this year by communicating my thoughts. They are lovely individuals who have reached out to me after they have read my articles and poems, either on my blog or on platforms where I have shared them. Their words of encouragement have given birth to a desire to write more, and I’m always grateful to them.
I am extremely happy to be a part of the writing community at Women’s Web. The platform has allowed me to express my opinions not just on women empowerment, but also on culture, society, current events, and a myriad of other issues.
Let us all welcome the New Year with hope
As we look forward to 2021, let us be optimistic and nourish the thought that the new year brings in smiles and sunshine for mankind and that humanity unites in good will and spirit. With adversity teaching us the truths of life, we need to bond and leave behind a legacy of love for our future generations.
I wind up on a note of positivity by sharing a poem I had written earlier. These lines echo my sentiments and are close to my heart.
THOUGHTS UNBOUND
The loud rhythm of the falling rain
awakens me
as I lie in bed in the wee hours,
warmly snuggled,
engulfed in the tranquillity
of a December morning.
Folks at home in deep slumber,
the sun’s yet to rise.
A new realization bounces upon me.
Racing fast, the year has almost reached
the finish line.
It’s time to perform my regular ritual,
to look back in retrospect
at the bygone days.
A basket lies before me.
Rummaging through its contents,
I dodge the unpleasant that scathed my senses,
bury the bitter with unshaken firmness,
and count the blessings.
Unfolding in my mind a list that lengthens,
I lovingly treasure
the friendships that had flowered perennially,
the bonds of family that had gotten tighter,
celebrations that had graced the hallway of my mundane existence,
magical melodies that had made me soar high.
They all make me beam with pride.
Standing on the threshold,
oblivious of what the future has in store
I look in anticipation once again
to a new cycle of seasons, new beginnings:
A spring with fragrant blooms
that will renew hopes.
A summer filled with smiles and sunshine.
Vibrant moods as the world basks
in the beauty of fall splendors and hues,
and a festive winter with blazing logs
that will warm the hearts.
Surfing the emotions encompassing me,
I feel a chord that strikes
again and yet again.
A burning desire runs
to be at the crest
to welcome with zest
the joys and promises
that the New Year brings.
Wishing you all a fabulous 2021!
( This article was featured in Women’s Web )
Image source: pixabay.com
rashmi writes 
Such a lovely look at the past year, Rashmi. Yes it has been tumultuous, but it has also taught me the lessons of patience and living in the moment; something that ordinarily does not come easy for me. I feel grateful that even though I couldn’t be with my family over the holidays, we had technology that let us, at the very least, see each other. I am hopeful that 2021 will be a better year. We have to have hope, or we have nothing.
Thank you so much for the lovely comment!!! Really appreciate that you always take the time to read & analyze ❤️🙏