For my Best Of The Year series #BOTY2020 I give you the biggest lesson 2020 taught me…
In my head, I picture 2020 as a school teacher who normally dresses in loose floral prints with hair in a nappy afro coming to class with a severe bun and a tight red leather outfit…(so your blood stains wont show she explains) cracking a whip to call the class to order and that you may all address her as Mistress.
First lesson you will learn is that in life, sometimes there is no great big lesson to learn but rather a series of experiences, decisions and consequences constantly leading to this moment here…
Its like history… life will not give you one big pop up alert that this moment right here is history happening, sure one may recognise the big shifts in life, but its easy to miss the 1001 seemingly mundane moments that we live for until, well, change sets in.
For example, how after the death of loved one, you wish had you known that was your last moment with them, you would have said things, done things, took pictures, paid more attention….
When the year begun we were probably making all sorts of resolutions for the New Year, maybe even wondering what was going on in Wuhan, as the news started trickling in, not thinking how a tiny bug ravaging China would become a global pandemic and that what the world first criticised as China first as over-reacting or being too harsh a clampdown was what would become the new normal…
Had you known how lockdown and COVID safety restrictions would change the world, all the things you would have done differently, the family and relatives you would have visited, the places you would have travelled, that wedding you kept post-poning, the hugs we could never do because social distance.
If there’s any big lesson from 2020, its how we really have no total control in life, sure we can plan with meticulous detail yet a chain of seemingly unrelated events will come and knock everything down. They say Man Plans and God Laughs.
Even seeing how world governments declaring how they were confident they had measures in place, ready to deal with the pandemic, they were never ready, wait, they were ready but hadn’t anticipated the scale and of course the human condition. Knowing all we have known we still headed into a second wave of infections and, a new round of lockdown of restrictions and yet still here we are…
If there’s any bigger lesson, its that there’s really nothing new under the sun and history repeats itself or rather when we don’t learn from it we are doomed to repeat it….
The Spanish Flu H1N1 pandemic of 1918 has interesting parallels to what we are experiencing now. While the past does not predict the future it can give pointed directions in the course of things; such as how physical distancing and mandatory wearing of masks were used to control the virus and how some people still disregarded the protocols as a nuisance and a second wave of infections after people relaxed turned out more fatal than the preceding wave.
The other lesson 2020 has drilled into me is how people will adapt, one plans and things don’t go according to plan, but we find ways to adapt, shops close you bring them to the people, concerts are restricted so you live-stream them instead…Check out my post on how the world stood still yet it didn’t mean we didn’t experience life in Something Worth Writing About
Most times we go through life not appreciating whats good and normal until the moment has passed and become the good old, remember life before corona when…
Sometimes there is no big notification that beep this is history happening…
What has 2020 taught you?
~B
Becoming The Muse 
I definitely agree, 2020 taught us to adapt no matter how different this year was from the past years before this pandemic happened. And I think it’s a good thing. When we adapt we learn that change is inevitable and we move forward with that. Loved this post most especially. Happy holidays to you, B. 😊
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The first lesson has always been it for me… God controls life… Interestingly, I had no resolutions for 2020… It’s a decision I made in 2019 to just live by faith…
After many Disappointments I came to a conclusion that God controls this life…
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How easily we forget the full meaning to the first line of the Lord’s Prayer… Thy will be done..
It is not us in control
~B
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True
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Truuuue! God is in control though… We make plans, he laughs for sure 😔
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2020 taught me how grateful I feel to be somewhat antisocial. Unlike a lot of other people I know, my year hasn’t sucked entirely. Hell my and I even took a mini fall vacation in October.
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For me 2020 has taught me we all need to be comfortable in our own skins, with ourselves, our thoughts and new situation. It will never be the same again in our life time, but that’s okay. We have to live day by day, accept and be grateful for the moment we’re in, see the small stuff, relish the cup of water, smell the season changing. That it’s okay to spend time doing nothing, to absorb the here and now, but also spend time doing the important stuff which includes making time being with those we are with, sharing and caring. Life had become too frenetic, too busy with unimportant ‘things’. It’s become a time of deep reflection, introspection.
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Thank you Christeen
2020 has definitely been a year to reflect on the things that truly matter and they aren’t things at all
Compliments of the festive season
~B
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Many blessings Beaton and hope for 2021!
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I have learnt that we are not in control but need to have faith in God no matter what.
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Amen
~B
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Man plans and God laughs, never heard that before but I feel it’s very true! History does repeat itself, this I truly believe as well…. Very interesting post, humans are very adaptable, and amazing how the world stood still but we still experience life!! Yup! As long as I can keep writing, and all the other things that fill my day, I’ll be happy. And smiles, smiles and laughs are the best medicine even in these tough times. Sounds counter intuitive, but I can’t be sad, and must find the silver linings in this crazy world we live. ❤️ It’s what keeps me Happy!!
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It just shows how we alone are not at the steering wheel of this life thing, sure it seems like it sometimes, but what happens happens and cannot happen in any other way… OK that’s from the Matrix but it’s super deep 🤣🤣
Here’s to smiles, laughter and writing
Compliments of the festive session
~B
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2020 taught me to have faith, be adaptable, care for those less fortunate, and smile at life.
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Smile at life… That is precious, thank you Eugenia
Compliments of the festive season
~B
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😊
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We are definitely not in control of anything.
My favourite thing in this post is we adapt 😭 I have done a lot of adapting this year.
Also, I totally agree that there is no one big lesson to learn!!
With that said, I hope Covid-19 can emulate the Spanish Flu and leave us alone because I’m tired 😂
Good post!
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Adapt or die 🤣
But yeah people can be interestingly resourceful beings.
~B
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