Share some light

2020 has been a tough year alright? Corona and all the other drama that has happened is not exactly something anybody saw coming. And even now the year is still throwing more at us. It’s really tempting to just declare 2020 cancelled, but not so fast. There’s something here. Because while this year has shown us some of the worst of humanity, it has also shown us some of the best of it too. It has been an amazing thing to see people rising up to care for those in their communities whose livelihoods have been taken away by the pandemic, it has been awe inspiring to see women raise their voices for the vulnerable and the weak despite certainly going through unexpected difficulties in their own lives.

I struggle with overwhelming anxiety and to say the beginning of quarantine almost took me out is an understatement. I planned to have graduated university in August and gone on to other things, but suddenly found myself sitting at home restarting my final year project after a horrible mistake, while watching the days turn into weeks and then into months. Opportunities I had looked forward to faded seemingly into thin air. I didn’t know if my family would be able to cope financially. I worried for my friends. In fact, I worried. Day and night.

Ironically, in a period where I felt I needed more encouragement than ever, what helped me get a grip was encouraging others. I realized that the weight of worrying and overthinking lifted whenever I shared my challenges and turned them into an encouraging moment for those around me, to say ‘you’re not in your struggle alone, I’m scared and tired too.’

I began to be more intentional about encouraging, checking up on my friends and prompting them to share their struggles with me. I began to leave uplifting comments on social media even for people I do not know personally. During this period more than ever, I’ve been so grateful for technology. I may not be able to hug someone physically, but I can send stickers, emojis, voice notes, and songs to let them know I care and brighten up their day.

From this I learnt that in our darkest moments, if we manage to find the strength to give out just a little bit of light, we will have that light reflected back at us too, perhaps bigger and brighter.

Slowly I began to put anxiety aside and make plans again. I caught up on books I always wanted to read, curated new playlists, broke into spontaneous singing and dancing even though I really can’t dance, learnt skills I had been putting aside, loved on my parents and siblings, cultivated new friendships and deepened old ones, and became deeply anchored in my faith. I stopped seeing quarantine as an interruption but rather an opportunity to realign my life.

I’m sharing this to simply say that we can and we will come out of this year stronger and with new lessons. Let us keep encouraging one another where we can and continue lending our voices to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. 2020 has been a tough year no doubt, but we are tougher still.