Did you hear that?
Yes that’s the sound of the collective sigh of relief breathed and heard all over the world as the wrathful year that was 2020 came to a close. One way or another, we are survivors of a dark chapter of this world’s history and we will have stories to tell when the time comes. And when that time comes, I hope that we find ourselves on the right side of history, sowing kindness instead of hatred, supporting inclusivity and rejecting bigotry, squashing false news at its root, speaking truth to power and always, rooting for love to win.
If there’s anything of value that the past year has reminded me of, it is that at my core, I need my people to survive. While I claim to be independent, self-sufficient and headstrong, I still would not discount the many times in the past year a simple phone call or text or meme from friends and family has gotten me out of a slump. Now more than ever, we all realise the importance of strong relationships. A connection I thought was lost forever at the start of last year has been rekindled. What it means for my future, I have yet to see unfold. Nevertheless, I will not tire of fighting for the relationships that add meaning to my life but I will have no regrets discarding those that do not.
At the height of covid restrictions, I found my voice. I felt a childlike excitement I haven’t felt in a long time each time I wrote about something I cared about. As Kuya Lance put it, “daw pang-The Graders’ Folio ah!”, alluding to a story he wrote I had the first-hand privilege of reading. Kuya Lance is an oncologist who is now happily back in my hometown, Koronadal, gracing our city with his world-class expertise. Two years my senior, Kuya Lance is one of those people I looked up to growing up. We went to the same elementary school and were both part of the school paper – The Graders’ Folio. We have often crossed paths in the years after elementary, may it be in school competitions in high school, in the UP Diliman campus, or even as recent as 2017 in Hong Kong when we found time to meet up while he was in the city for a conference. Out of all his achievements, his humility is the most notable. He keeps a blog that I religiously follow.
Having said that, it didn’t feel any more imperative to write a yearend essay. My 2020 journey has been fairly well documented in this blog. What I hope though is that the childlike excitement I have come to rediscover will stay with me from hereon. To be childlike is to be unencumbered. And with all the hardships the past year has brought on, to be childlike is almost a virtue.
There are many who have suffered and continue to suffer and I wish them respite in the year to come. But while there is suffering, there is also hope. The human spirit is fraught with many things, but it does not easily break. It’s a new dawn. Each day we are alive, we stand another chance at fighting for life. Courage my dear friends, we shall soldier on.
It has been raining incessantly on my side of the world this past three days. If this is any indication of how the year 2021 will be like, the outlook is bleak. But my yearly Chinese horoscope review indicates the contrary therefore it is enough to give me the hope and optimism I need to get through another year unscathed. Now I know that astrology doesn’t stand to reason (just as much as religion doesn’t) so leave it to the individual to believe what they will. Ultimately, each person is in charge of their own destiny. I just think it won’t hurt with a little prodding from the stars.
Alors, bonne année à toi! The last few weeks of the year for me was characterised mainly by eating and drinking and nursing hangovers a lot.
