Thriving and surviving 2020

The past year was filled with many hurdles. The year started off with the threat of World War III with tensions brewing between countries. Shortly after it felt as if the world stopped with the passing of the late Kobe Bryant and his beautiful daughter Gianna. Reminding us just how precious life is and a how in the blink of an eye ones world can change.

As a matter of fact this just may be the theme of 2020, To cherish our loved ones and to treasure each day. In 2020 COVID constantly reminded us that we as humans are very fragile and that “Man is by nature a social animal" - Aristotle. Even some of the most sanitary fell sick and the most introverted grew lonely. We had many losses throughout the year from missed opportunities to death of not only millions of people but careers, dreams and businesses.

Despite how intense the year had been we still persevered, and in my opinion we came out stronger, wiser and better equipped for what's to come. I like to look at 2020 as a year of rest, A year of mourning, and a year of reflection. This down time allowed me to do a lot of thinking and planning. At first I questioned why I was being punished, I had spent the previous year working my ass off and was finally seeing the fruits of my labor. Only to have them taken away.

In May of 2020 I was laid off from my first real IT job. The year prior (2019) I had completed my IT training and received my CompTIA A+ Certification and after losing my job the horror of not knowing what the future held became a bit overwhelming. However things quickly began to make sense. My partner who would've normally been working overseas, and I who was set to follow in his path by moving to Kuwait quickly found ourselves in a bittersweet situation. We were stuck in quarantine together, whereas we would've normally been long distanced and on opposite schedules. This time together brought out both the best and the worst in us; but overall made our relationship stronger.

Fortunately things worked out financially, but this time in lock down allowed me the chance to put things into perspective and helped me to realize what's most important in my life. Health, Happiness, and my loved ones. I realized better ways to budget and organize my finances, from being in a situation where I had to pay bills from most to least important. Cutting out unnecessary expenses and being more money conscious. I also put my health in the forefront by ensuring that I paid close attention to my body and consuming more foods and vitamins that are good for me. My relationships with my friends and family became stronger because we learned how to value one another because we were socially distanced and hearing the voices of my mother and father became a sense of peace for me. My partner and I still found ways to do what we loved and we were able to enjoy them in a more intimate may than we would've been able to Pre- Pandemic. Our international travels became domestic and our over the phone conversations became pillow talk. The unresolved disputes were resolved because we were face to face and had to deal with our issues.

Overall I am grateful for 2020 and all she had to offer, she came with many challenges and many lessons that have made me a better person overall.