“That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.” – Doris Lessing

2020 has been an unusual year. But like every year it has taught me lessons that I hope I won’t forget .

The same realisation dawned when it came to the rest of the housework. Ironing every day, hanging out the washing every day, making endless trips to pick up deliveries made me realise that I wasn’t all that independent as I’d imagined myself to be .

So what has 2020 taught me ?

Rediscovering my life

Since last October my life had turned topsy-turvy with my fall and subsequent rotator cuff surgery. But 2020, forced me to get back on my feet faster than I’d imagined.

• Self reliance or atmanirbharta.

I always thought I was self-reliant. No matter what, I always made my own bed, fetched my own glass of water, did my own errands and as far as possible tried not to rely on the househelp.

But this year, self-reliance took on another meaning altogether! My daily tasks extended to doing everything myself for the rest of the family too.

I learned to pick up after everyone, not o mention picking up parcels that were delivered because we weren’t allowed doorstep deliveries.

• Resilience

Resilience has always been my strong point but this year I learnt that there is more to resilience than sticking there. It means being strong for others so that they can all function properly.

• Innovation

I have always been one to find the way out. Innovation is a better word for ‘jugad’ which seems to be embedded in our national psyche. But along with innovation I learnt to adapt. For instance, I learnt to make thick delicious curries without onions when they reached the astronomical price of Rs.90/kg. I learned to do without the househelp and devised a new system of running a home as normally as I could.

• Adaptation

Innovation leads to adaptation and this year I learnt how to live remotely. Not only did we adapt to long distance learning via Zoom calls, but I also attended a Zoom wedding and a Zoom funeral. I also learnt that even though these are virtual events, there are rules of etiquette. For instance did you know that even a virtual wedding means that you have to dress appropriately.

• Small is Beautiful

With social distancing norms in place, our celebrations were restricted to family. This year I learnt that even small family celebrations can be great fun with a lot of ingenuity and imagination.

We celebrated two birthday virtually and had really tiny Ganpati and Diwali celebrations. But though the festivities were limited, the joys were limitless.

• Movies in Pjs and Cooking with YouTube

With cinemas closed, I learned to rely on Netflix for entertainment and discovered the joys of watching movies in pyjamas!

Even though I did a fair bit of cooking in the past, I realized that I had completely lost control of my kitchen. It was no longer mine and 2020 has given me a new perspective on how a kitchen should be constructed and how jobs can be streamlined. I also learnt to cook gourmet meals thanks to YouTube.

• Discipline is key

With NO household help, with restricted home deliveries, I learnt the importance of discipline. Detailed planning is necessary to run a regular life. So I had to make sure that the clothes were washed and dried at a fixed time so that I could catch the dhobi downstairs. Similarly, I had to keep a watch for the egg and bread deliveries. In short, I couldn’t let things slip for another day.

• Happiness is within

Finally, I understood the meaning of happiness is within. With no family to meet or friends to gossip with since everyone was busy with work, I had to rely on myself to keep my spirits up.

Whether I did yoga or meditation or just walked around in circles, I had to find ways of bringing up those endorphins and keeping depression at bay. Staying away from negative people undoubtedly helps.

• Health is wealth

Many years ago, my mother in law had sent me a letter listing the cost of various organ transplants operations. Her objective was to awaken me to the fact that health is the most precious possession we have. CoVid has only reinforced this point and I learnt that it is only good health that holds you in good stead.

“In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.” – Eric Hoffer

• The value of freedom

2020 taught me the value of freedom. The freedom to go out, anywhere without fear or worry.

With several lockdowns in place at various times in the year, going out became restricted. I remember being asked by the policeman where I was going and why. I actually felt fear for the first time in my life.
Even going for a drive in a place outside my neighbourhood was prohibited.

Eventually, I learnt that Life is the greatest teacher and 2020 has been a learning lesson for us all.

p.s. I’m thinking of changing the name of this blog to Eighty, Sixty, Thirty and Five, from 2021. As you know my last URL was hijacked by a porn site so I stopped blogging for a while. After several months of agonizing over what I should name my blog, I decided to make a complete break from Mumbai and being on a High….

Please do give me your comments on whether this will work or not.