Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021

 

Happy new year!

 Time has gone so fast. We started the year 2020 with the virus and ended it still with the virus. But the good thing is some countries have already produced vaccines, and the restrictions have eased up quite a bit.

 However, there is a new strain of coronavirus that has been discovered in the UK. Whew! Just when I thought things are now slowly going back to normal. I guess I was wrong. It seems like we will be spending another year in quarantine (I hope not).

 Let us just think of the bright side and be thankful that we are still alive to see another year unfolds and pray that good things are coming for us. It is indeed scary and unpredictable, but life goes on. So, I will write my plans and resolutions for 2021.

I will declutter

I committed myself to live with fewer possessions since I learned about "minimalism" a few years ago and I have successfully done it for years but failed during the last four months of 2020.

 It was difficult not to buy unnecessary things when it is easier to shop online, and it was exciting to receive delivery parcels. Plus, gifts from my family on Christmas added to the material things I accumulated. Now the guilt has started to creep in, and I have to do something about it.

 I really have no excuse for buying new clothes when I barely go outside the house, when I only go to the office twice a week (Why did I do that?). The only purchase I was proud to have this year is my Kindle. Now I need to do an inventory of my belongings and discard things that I do not need and use anymore. 

This year, I promise to be more mindful of my purchase and not waste money on impulse buying.

I will invest more

I got a little scared investing more because I want to easily access my money if a family member gets sick during this pandemic. I might need funds for emergencies, but I thank God that we are all safe, as well as my savings. I had some of my money in a low-risk investment but next time, I would like to invest more in high-yield investments. 

In the coming years, I would really want my money to work for me. My dream is to earn even while I am sleeping.

I will eat healthier meals

I knew deep within that I had failed big time in the health area. I was very health conscious before when things were still "normal". When I still move around work, and when I was not quarantined at home. This pandemic has brought me anxiety, late nights of sleep, and an unhealthy diet. I got sick twice for a lack of sunlight, exercise, and enough sleep. 

Once a month we go out to the market to buy fresh food and cook at home, but mostly we order fast food. I have been eating fried and oily food. I drink too many milk teas with lots of sugar which I think is the main reason pimples started showing up on my face. 

Now I realized how I had neglected my health, and I want to return to my old self. I did not gain weight, but I can feel that I am not healthy. This 2021, I will take good care of my body again.

I will read more books

So proud of myself for finishing 7 books of the Harry Potter series plus another book Harry Potter and the Cursed Child during the pandemic. If not for the quarantine, I would not have done it. These books have awakened my inner child. I cannot help but admire the mind of JK Rowling coming up with these masterpieces. I wish Hogwarts is real!

 Reading relaxes me and shuts down the world I live in. It is like traveling to different places and times, meeting peculiar people, and having the power to do impossible things. Truly mesmerizing. 

I got a long list of books to read this year. I am sure that I can accomplish a lot from the list.

I will be more understanding

 As I get older, I am becoming more aware of myself, my surroundings, and other people. I am glad that I was changing for the better. I realized that I could control my feelings and reactions somehow by understanding things truly. 

For example, I have this friend that I treasure so much who did not even say hi to me for one whole year despite my efforts of reaching out to them. I was worried because we are in a pandemic, and I just wished we talk just like before. But I noticed that they do not really want to engage in a conversation, so I just let them be. 

Instead of getting mad, I told myself to give them the space they need. They may be dealing with something they cannot easily share or struggling with something they do not want to burden me with. I just told them that I am always available in case they need my help. 

My old self would get angry with my friend for keeping secrets from me and push them to tell me about what is happening in their lives. But now, I try to be understanding more of other people's feelings and think that they have reasons why they acted that way. 

I also want to understand myself more, what really are my priorities in life, what makes me happy, and what are things that sadden me. I do not intend to avoid being sad because it is natural for humans to feel it. I just want to acknowledge it when it comes and learn how to slowly detach from it and not dwell on it for too long. 

At first, the quarantine brought me too much sadness, but I know how to handle it now.

I will communicate and spend more time with my family

 This pandemic has made me realize that my family is the most important in my life. The love that I get from my family is overflowing. I cannot trade them for anything in this world. Even if they are all not with me, they show care by checking in on me. 

My sisters are my go-to people when I feel lonely. We talk every day through social media. I was truly blessed to have a few family members in my company during the pandemic. They keep me sane. 

It feels reassuring that even if the world turns its back on you, even if some friends forget you, you know that you will always have your family to stay by your side. I hope COVID will permanently end this year so that I can catch up and spend time with the rest of the family.

 For me, these resolutions are not hard to do. I just need to focus on my goals. Most importantly, I want to thank the Lord for giving me another year, another chance to improve myself. I will be forever grateful because I was given this life that is so beautiful. ♥