Today is the last Tuesday of the year . It also is the last Tuesday of the decade .

Actually this post should have been up yesterday because the last Monday of the decade sounds so much better than the last Tuesday of the decade . But then Monday zoomed by so fast that I had no option but to post this on Tuesday.

Indeed, it was not only the day that zoomed by, but the entire year . At the risk of sounding cliched, every year goes by in a flash; each year seemingly faster than the last. But this year it literally zoomed away. And what was surprising that this was the year when everything supposedly slowed down with Work from Home becoming the norm, lockdowns a way of life, and self-reliance a reality.

2020 was a life altering year for everyone. ‘New normal’ became the defining word and every one accepted that life wouldn’t be the same as it was before 2020.

The decade that was

But was life in 2019 the same as it was in 2009?

It definitely wasn’t for me.

From 2010 to 2020 my life changed dramatically.

• my daughters stepped into the world as full fledged professionals,
• got married and made me a grandmother.
• my parents got older with my mom getting ARMD and two cataract surgeries
• my dad got a heart attack
• my husband suffered a TIA
• I fell off a ladder and had a rotator cuff surgery

This was the decade that saw

• me publish a cookbook,
• get into Blogging in a big way and
• make three solo trips across continents ( without boarding the wrong plane or walking off with someone else’s luggage)
• go for my first and possibly last destination wedding
• get involved with St.Judes

But 2020 rounded off the decade by literally zooming past.

When virtuality becomes reality

Zoom working

With everyone working from home, Zoom meetings and zoom working became the ‘new normal’ . People learnt how to make their drab homes into glamorous beaches by changing the background.

Zoom schooling

To begin with school was zoomed into our home. With an iffy wifi and with Hubby Dear zooming with his office in one room and Daughter No1 zooming into hers, poor Ms Papaya had to zoom wherever the signal was good enough . We also had to make sure that the zoom calls didn’t clash. This was because everyone had to talk louder than their indoor voices in order they be heard over the Internet.

Zoom yoga

I did Zoom yoga three mornings a week. I didn’t know what the instructor could see of me and my poses because very often all that I saw of her was her finger adjusting the zoom.

Eventually I stopped getting into my yoga pants and actually did my stretches and bends in my regular kaftan. It saved on washing and drying two extra garments during the pandemic.

Zoom wedding

I attended a Zoom wedding which was a morning wedding in the US. Unfortunately it was late night for us and my kaftan wasn’t fancy enough for a wedding . My friend Jo who had attended 4 Zoom weddings told me that protocol demanded I dress for the occasion make up and all even though the function was virtual.

Once again I wanted to save on the washing, so I draped a dressy dupatta to look like I’d worn a sari, put on my pearls and watched. I soon realised that no one could see me so I pulled off the dupatta and watched the ceremony in my kaftan .

Zoom funeral

When it came to attending a Zoom memorial service , I was confused. Does one dress up or dress down ? After all it was a sad occasion . Not dressing would seem disrespectful while dressing would seem disrespectful too. Finally I stayed on in my regular clothes ( to save on washing another set )

Zoom hen parties

I had zoom meetings with my friends. It was great to see everyone in different stages of neglect. Each one of us was cheery and happy to meet online but as the hair grew longer ( in some cases whiter ) you could make out that Zoom calling was a poor substitute for a real meeting .

Zoom birthdays

Similarly, a Zoom birthday party was better than no birthday party and we had several zoom birthdays this year. Apart from singing happy birthday virtually and exchanging pleasantries, it was a fun way to get together.

Zoom treasure hunts

Some enthusiastic parents even organised Zoom play dates and Zoom treasure hunts which were fun in the beginning. But after a few of these innovative interactions, Zoom parties lost their appeal.

Zoom events

Now this was something I found rather strange. Attending a zoom event of a talk such as a TED talk.

But now at the end of the year I’m quite adept at highlighting speakers, muting and unmuting, raising my hand to chat and all other Zoom etiquette.

Finally, when Ms. Papaya got off the dining table once and asked us all to “PAUSE”, I realised that our reality has become a virtuality and ZOOM is here to stay.

Happy 2021 all ye Readers and hope to see you more regularly on this virtual space.

Ciao