25th Dec 2022 3 min read
I always feel a sense of trepidation as the year approaches its final closure. Time again has slipped by fast like a clever thief, taking away my dreams which are half-fulfilled. More so in recent years where we feel more restricted due to the pandemic. However, my usual consolation is “New Year is coming! This time it is going to be different!”
Yes, yes, many times I have uttered this to myself. Not all is lost though.
The pandemic did do some good to me on reflection. It was like a spanner thrust into the wheel of my daily routine and caused me to veer sideways. Into new experiences, new dreams, and new friends.
In this space of three years of greater self-awareness about self-preservation, I have adopted a few skills and interests. I created my website which I had learned, understood how Ecommerce works in the backend, picked up line dancing, worked on my two left feet tendency, made interesting and encouraging friends, became interested in writing, improved my Mandarin, got acquainted with my Japanese language studies again and focused on building my dental practice, to turn it into a group practice since the pandemic had curtailed my traveling plans.
If not for the pandemic, my routine, die-hard life was about work, then travel, meeting up with the usual people, and repeating it. There is always a silver lining to the grey cloud. While bad things happen, one could only keep and must carry on if one cannot alleviate them.
The pandemic and the war have tempered many moods. I saw changes in some people where they have become more agitated, insecure, and even depressed. Yet there were others who carried on, living life as normally as possible, taking appropriate precautions.
I agree with the latter. Don’t stop your activities — those that you love doing, even if they involve interaction with many people due to fear of Covid. The virus makes no announcement, it lurks in the most unlikely places and it does not discriminate. Then, why fear?
The moment we fear death is the moment we start to die, internally. As if living life on a thread. Hesitating in achieving your goals because you have confined yourself to a zone of ‘safety’.
While being cognizant of the bad things that are happening around the world, one can do nothing but pray, be cautious, calm, and carry on. If you can help in some way, do. Otherwise, do not be paralyzed into inaction by negative comments and suggestions thrown around you.
Life still goes on. 2023 may always be the turning point. Things always get worse before it gets better and we may already have hit the bottom. If not, the human spirit must not submit.
A New Year, a new lease of life. Come what may, there are so many worthy goals to aim for and the journey ahead is certainly going to be exciting.
