“Madam,put your hand on my shoulder and jump down,” Kushlesh told me as I was stuck in the elevator. He was one of six watchmen in the building and offered to get me out. A year ago he wouldn’t have suggested such a rescue but the pandemic had changed all rules.

In fact, 2020 was a year which brought all of us together with our joint experience of being locked up in a ‘bubble’.

There went my #WOTY for 2020 which was DETACH.

Ironically, Word Of The Year, which more or less sets the tone for the year , was completely upended by the end of 2020.

With 2020 being what it was , I could hardly be detached in what I did. In fact I seemed to be more absorbed with my daily chores and the people around me.

The only things I detached myself from were blogging and walking and other ‘me-time’ activities like meeting friends, watching movies and reading books.

I was completely immersed in the lives of my family, househelp and the building staff because we were all in it together for a good nine months . My neighbours became friends during our community shopping ventures . A new familiarity developed with the minimal staff around .

Circumstances have probably derailed most of us this year and the current news about the virus’ mutation doesn’t augur any change in 2021.

But that doesn’t mean that all is lost .

As I watched the conjunction of the Jupiter and Saturn on December 21st, the phenomenon of the Christmas Star, I couldn’t help feel a surge of joy coursing through my body seeing the wonder of the Universe and the hope that it inspired .

Embrace the change

And that’s how I chose the word #embrace to be my #WOTY 2021.

Because, if there is anything I really learned in 2020 is that we are helpless onlookers and participants in the larger scheme of things. The best made plans of mice and men do come to naught in the face of reality .

The only option left , therefore, is to accept. Accept not with reluctance or despair but with hope . With grace . And with love .

And the one word that truly epitomises acceptance with hope and love is embrace .

Thus in 2021, I will embrace myself, warts and all.

I will embrace life with all its challenges.

Merry Christmas to those celebrating and a Happy New Year to all !

See you next year .

Ciao

“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.