2020: So far, so …3 mins read

2020 has been a hell of a year. The post picture isn’t a true representation of how I feel about the year but it’s a nice picture so I used it anyway.

I highly doubt if the year has gone the way anyone on this planet planned for it to go. Even if a pandemic of this nature was anticipated, which I doubt, I am not sure there is a way to have adequately prepared for the impact it has had (and is still having) on almost every aspect of our lives.

For me (as with many others), this year has not gone my way AT ALL.

From not getting the internship placements I applied for, to losing a job offer because I hadn’t completed NYSC (this was particularly painful because I had to let go of another engagement in order to get this offer).

Even the one sure thing that was set to happen this year (NYSC) was somehow stalled. The camp was cut short so all corp members had to return home. Thankfully, the service year has started counting regardless and I am extremely grateful for that. I look at my vision board sometimes and just sigh.

In the initial stages of the lock-down, there was confusion as to what to do and how to do it. Everything seemed out of my control and for the most part, I felt paralyzed. It didn’t help that I was mostly idle as I had no job and nothing particularly interesting happening around.

I signed up to volunteer as a medical doctor on the front-lines to treat the COVID-19 patients. After days of training, we were told to await a call to be drafted to one of the isolation centres. Weeks went by and I didn’t get the call and my hopes for volunteering waned (totally dead now because it’s been monthsss).

It’s been a blurry couple of months and I am only just starting to pull myself together to still make sense of this year. Initially, the consensus was to take this period as some sort of ‘rest’ from the hustle and bustle of life. I was in this zone for the first couple of weeks into the lockdown and it was actually chill. I enjoyed not having to wake up early for work and not feeling bad about being unemployed because many others were too.

Right now, it’s evident that this pandemic is going to be around for a while and we somehow have to learn to live our regular lives in spite of it. Most businesses are opening up and individuals also have to go on with their lives as much as possible. People are learning to navigate this new reality in the midst of an economic downturn, inflations and all that come with it.

I almost forgot about the various protests that have been ongoing and the tension left in their wake. From #BlackLivesMatter which started in the US and spread to other countries around the world to the protests against rape in Nigeria. Many social issues have come to light in this period and the world is definitely going to experience some change in those areas.

I will be dishonest if I end this post without highlighting some goodness in this period. Firstly, I am thankful that in spite of the lockdown and being out of work, I didn’t experience financial hardship in this period. In fact, I was able to donate to some NGOs giving palliatives in the early phases of the lockdown. Secondly, I recently got a job I had interviewed for prior to the worldwide lockdown. So now I have something to keep me busy while NYSC figures out how to go about things. For this, I am grateful.

I do miss going out freely. Weird because I like being indoors mostly, but there’s something enticing about things you’re restricted from doing. I want to say I wish this goes away soon but from a medical and public health perspective, that’s unlikely. In March a friend said things will be back to normal by June. We are in July now and while things are picking up, it isn’t normal yet.

I think I’d just wish for a better half of 2020. While people are losing jobs and other opportunities in this pandemic, wins can and are still happening for some. The best option is really to have a positive outlook, whichever category you fall into. There’s no better plan than to give your best at every instance. Control what you can, worry less about what you can’t. This is easier said than done, that doesn’t reduce the value of the advice.

As we journey on into the remaining 100 and something days of this year, do all within your power to stay safe – mask up, wash your hands, sanitise, keep your distance (and any other new advice that comes from the authorities).

Control what you can, worry less about what you can't. This is easier said than done, that doesn't reduce the value of the advice. Share on X

To better days,

SisiK.