A Tale Of Two Expectations

At the start of 2020, there was a lot of hype about the double ‘double’ digits. It was going to be a year of double or perfect vision, one that would somehow be more that we could have imagined.

In a lot of ways it has been been that and more. The whole world seemed to have been blindsided by a virus that we did not see coming. Global economies, workplaces and people were impacted by factors we did not expect to deal with.

Yes the virus helped us to see that we were not as prepared as we thought, we were not as protected as we thought and we definitely were not as in control as we thought.

The political landscape, effects of climate changes and other humanitarian issues in many nations lent their own drama to the already sizzling headlines.

As the end of the year looms, it is safe to conclude that it has been a tale of two expectations – the expectations we had versus the reality.

Debates have been had that showed many of us that things are not as we thought or hoped with people divided within and across faith lines.

One could almost conclude that it is as though all hell was let loose on earth this year.

But even as many all over the world have been touched by the effects of COVID-19 and many of us are aware of people who have lost loved ones, we still got to celebrate many things.

Marriages, births and birthdays have been celebrated differently and as we look back we soon realise that whether there are a dozen or a thousand people at a wedding, it doesn’t alter the validity of the event.

In the same year that we have been ravaged by a virus that showed no mercy, scientists have been able to show their brilliance in the pace of discovery and testing of a vaccine.

Regardless of our views on vaccines, we must acknowledge the strides that it has taken to achieve this feat.

A battle we’ve all faced this year is a battle to rise above the challenges that this year has brought. It’s been a battle of the mind, spirit and body for many of us.

Mental health issues were on the rise, suicide rates went up and loneliness became the thing to overcome.

But as the end of the year comes in less than two weeks, we can declare and rejoice that we are still standing. We are alive and well, we have overcome the challenges and we have not been swept away by the storms.

We’ve learnt useful lessons, discovered strength we didn’t know we had, altered our plans to make sure the new normal does not put our lives on hold and we have become a more resilient and innovative people.

When all is said and done, we can still afford to be grateful for the year we’ve had. This makes me think of a quote by Marcus Aurelius which says, “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

It has been a precious privilege to be alive at a time when many have lost their lives, to breathe on our own even as many have needed ventilators that were not available, and it definitely has been a blessing to realise that there are more important things in life than the things we once held dear.

So as we celebrate Christmas and what it truly means, let’s enjoy and be thankful for the scaled back celebration, let’s be thankful that people are safe wherever they are and that’s more important that what we are missing.

Finally lets look forward to a new year with hope and excitement because we know and believe the best is yet to come, and as long as we have life, there is hope.

I wish you a merry and joyful Christmas. Enjoy it any way it comes and be grateful you’re here to see it. Thank you for reading my post.