Welcome 2021

 A shimmer of light is crawling in, giving us hope to break free from the darkness that has engulfed us in different ways, since the start of the pandemic. This was a year when illness, unexpected death and hate raised their ugly heads, shocking me beyond belief. The year 2020 is finally reaching its end. 2021 is gently tiptoeing into our lives, carrying the promise for better things.

I have been struggling for the best words to describe this hugely challenging year. I recently learned about a carinaria shell through Anthony Doerr’s book, All the Light we cannot see. A carinaria shell is simultaneously light and heavy, hard, and soft, smooth, and rough. This is exactly how this year has made me feel. I feel like I have turned into a carinaria shell: heavy with pandemic fatigue and yet, wearing a light smile, thinking about the possibility of the bringing in newness, I feel rough around the edges and still soft enough to soak in the goodness that brightens my days. It has not been easy for me to stay positive through this roller coaster phase. It has been a test for many emotions, questioned my resilience and made me doubt my ability to stay afloat against a hungry tide. It is not over, and I am aware that there are many more challenges ahead.

I am grateful for what I have and for having made it this far, despite the detour of circumstances. Technology has been my knight in shining armor during this crisis. I am grateful that I was able to not just connect with people whom I care about, but also bring together artists, writers, and creative souls, with the power of my words. I have been able to create a strong, safe, and supportive virtual writing community, for writers like me, who love to write together, energized in the inspiration from each other. I have been able to reconnect with old friends and make new ones, without meeting any of them in person.

Like always, my writing and the passion for my craft, has been my secret superpower, giving me the tools to carve out new opportunities, when I thought all the doors were closed. My writing helped me find a release for my thoughts and gain new perspectives in a time that brutally compelled me to push myself against my own rigid boundaries. The virtual writing community, and a ton of diverse books, have been my haven, and the retreat where I have recharged, rejuvenated, and filled my cup of creative energies, every time it threatened to look empty.

Even as I get ready to welcome 2021, I am aware of the triviality and the wholeness of it all. I am laughing at the unpredictability of the possibilities. Unlike other beginnings, this time I am more realistic and less prepared. Anticipation and expectation are safely tucked away, and I stand on the cliff of the new normal, half-heartedly embracing it. Yet, the optimist in me wants to see the best of everything.
As the brand new 2021 unmasks itself, I wish each of you, another fantastic three hundred odd days, in which you allow yourself to bloom, nourish and nurture yourselves in the best ways possible.