2020 in Hindsight

Dear Stephanie,

Happy Birthday and Happy National Puzzle Day! I hope you know how much I still enjoy celebrating your birthday and the beautiful life you lived here on Earth. I will be watching "Pretty In Pink" today! Yesterday I did some puzzles online with a friend and we did some with you in mind - bunnies, a butterfly, and lots of pink! I will be doing more puzzles (not necessarily only of the jigsaw variety) today for my Brain Fitness class, too!

As you know, this is the date I publish my annual year-end blog post. Last year at this time I wrote about the end of the Daily Challenge and how by the end of January 2020 I was in a much better mindset to move on than I was at the beginning of January 2020. I'm happy to say I feel even better now than I did at the end of last January.

 

A few months ago, I found out that the Daily Challenge has been revived under new ownership. However, I'm at a place now where I don't feel like I could ever go back to it. It was a time in my life that I will forever cherish and I would rather leave it like that, grow from it, implement what I learned over the years (and not just from the daily challenges themselves), and move on. It will never be the same experience even if I did go back to it. I've been through the grieving process and I've already moved on. It would be like trying to replace your friendship with someone else's. That could never happen. Of course I have friends, but they could never replace the kind of friendship I had with you. Those unique experiences truly were once in a lifetime, both your friendship and the Daily Challenge. Thankfully, I have stayed in touch in other ways with several friends I met (or didn't meet yet) on "DC". I email the group once a month and I usually receive replies from some of them. That's just one of several ways we have maintained our friendships, and in some cases, grown from them.

The other big story in 2020, and is still ongoing today, is the pandemic. When I first heard about the virus, I was not too concerned about it. It quickly became clear that it was something to take seriously. In March, much of our country and the world slowed down as a result of many businesses and schools being closed. I remember thinking back in March that I would take a restorative week and just stay indoors as much as possible during that time. I stopped taking my walks, but I continued to go to the grocery store weekly and have done so ever since. In the beginning, it was difficult to find certain items at the grocery store that I wanted, but I have always been able to find what I need. Knowing that I had the essentials, I was fine staying home. As you know, I have more indoor hobbies that I'll ever have time for!

Soon after that, it became clear that we were in this for the long haul and that we would not be getting back to normal anytime soon. Apart from not being able to go to the library for a while, Zumba eventually being cancelled, and yoga moving online, my life didn't change a whole lot. Instead of borrowing movies, I watched what I had and I also discovered a streaming service that is included in my cell phone plan! While I was taking a break from taking walks, I got fresh air on the balcony every day. For several weeks, I observed and took pictures of one cherry tree in particular. I watched it bloom until all of the blossoms fell off and it was completely green.

In the late spring, I found out about a free cross cycling class that would be ongoing through June twice a week. Since at this point I was still not taking regular walks, partially due to the heat and humidity and partially due to the pandemic, I decided to dust off my hand cycle and take the class. I hesitated at first because it was at noon and I prefer to workout in the mornings. However, it seemed silly to not at least try the class. It was free, after all! I stuck with it and that class has evolved into what is is today - a well-rounded online wellness platform that includes cardio, strength training, meditation, and yoga. They will also be starting online discussion groups soon.

 

As a result of the new online wellness platform that is very low cost and accessible, I made the difficult decision to stop taking the other yoga class I had been taking for years. I still do stay in touch with my instructor and classmates, though. Just yesterday we had an online Happy Hour. It was good to chat with them again.

 

One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that we now have a more accessible world. This is huge and my hope is that even when we can gather in person again, affordable online opportunities remain. Of course, there is great value in gathering in person and I do hope to be able to do that again soon. However, with the rise of online events, many of which are free or low cost, I've actually been more active than I ever have been before. Even my HDL was in the normal range for the first time that I can remember! Also, due to having more events online, I've even made new friends. In fact, I've had the amazing opportunities to chat with some Paralympians!

So, now I'm taking several classes each week with the online wellness platform. I do some On Demand, but most are live. I also facilitate a weekly online meetup with my spina bifida group. I feel like I've gotten to know them better through this whole experience. It will be great to meet in person again, but the weekly online meetups are so beneficial that we'll probably keep them up indefinitely to some extent.

One of the best things about doing so much virtually without leaving home is that I can spend more time with Qandi. As I've mentioned in previous posts, her needs are going and she requires much more attention than she used to. Figuring out a way to deal with her blindness was a huge challenge last year, but we've got a good system going now. She is content, and despite all of her ailments, she's doing okay.

So that just about sums up my year! Of course, you've always been with me so you know all of this already. But you know how I like to keep you posted just in case you may have missed something. Or maybe I'm just doing this for myself.😊

I am excited about 2021. Even if we are still in quarantine mode through the end of the year, I feel that good things are ahead. Best of all, you will continue to experience the journey with me!

Luv ya lots,

Meezan💗

P.S. I know I didn't tell you everything that happened in 2020, but one of the things I kept up with is my blog. So you can look back at my previous posts to read more, although I admit it's heavy on the movie reviews!