For the Tears and Cheers, Thank You, 2021 ❤️

2021 is coming to an end. Why does is feel like this year just started, and that it has been going on since forever, all at the same time? This year, for me and for all of us, was a unique one. It was a year of firsts, of lasts, of learnings, of pain and of hope. We’ve been through a lot, things that made us happy and sad, sometimes simultaneously. Now that it’s time to let it all go, and carry just the learning ahead with us, I’d like to talk about this year.

The first thing that I remember happened in 2021, was India winning the test series against Australia. The series which began with the infamous 36 all out and ended with an injured, battered Indian team saving and winning matches with resilience. I’ve been following cricket since that series. I like to think this year has been like that series- we’ve been taken by surprise, but we’ve managed to overcome all the hurdles, together.

Soon after, the vaccination drive started in India. I went into the Ninth Grade, which brought along a lot of firsts. The world around me seemed to be changing. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was me who was changing. There was happiness in the air, and everything was getting better. 2020 was hard on everyone, and 2021 seemed to be bringing joy and relief. There were firsts after we thought that the pandemic was over: going to a mall, watching a movie in a cinema hall, going to school physically, going out of station.

But, it didn’t last long. What we thought we had left behind, was back. It was worse, it was scary and scarring and painful. The second wave! It seems so long ago, but we can’t forget how we listened to the sirens of the ambulance every fifteen minutes. How, each time, we prayed that the person in it gets the necessary medical support. We woke up to news of people passing away because they couldn’t find hospital beds or oxygen cylinders. We felt helpless and hopeless. The whole world was hurting.

But we came out if it. It was gradual, but we gained our smiles back. Nothing could lessen the sense of loss that all of us felt, but we were prepared to live once again. The cases went down, and our morale went up. I went to school physically after one and a half years. The vaccination campaign picked up speed, for adults atleast.

I got my first book published. 2021 so far had been a period of metamorphosis for me, and I poured my heart into my words. Writing the first draft, working on it, editing it, getting it published. It was a dream come true. ‘One with the Stars’ and Gulki will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.

I read a lot. Paulo Coelho, Rainbow Roosevelt, Nikita Gill, Rhonda Byrne, JK Rowling and Jodi Picoult were some of the authors I read and loved. I finally read the whole Harry Potter series, which I never thought I would. I’ve not been much of a fan of fantasy, but this series changed my perspective.

2021 has ensured that we’ll never be the same again. But, then, who wants to stay the same? I think I grew as a person this year. I think we all did. There were so many moments, big and small, that are now memories. Memories that we will cherish forever.

And this moment, right now, will never come back. So, why not use it to say THANK YOU? I’m grateful for all that happened this year. For the good, and for the not-so-good, because it helped us become the people we are now.

So, b-bye 2021. Thank you for all you had to offer. We’re taking the hope with us, and the learning that came with the pain. You’ve been a roller-coaster ride, but we loved every minute of it.

2022, here we come! We can’t wait to go through new ups and downs with you, to LEARN new lessons, to LOVE, to LIVE!

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Happy New Year 🥳🎉🤗, everyone! Wish you a lot of health, happiness, love and prosperity for the coming year 💝.

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Lots of Love

Goohika ✨