Dear 2020,
As we stand on the cusp of a new year, I cannot help but reflect on all that you have brought into our lives. You are synonymous with a perfect vision; it would be safe to say you certainly helped us see things in a fresh new light. Few other years in history have had to bear this extent of torment of people’s ire, disappointment, resentment and hurry to simply forget. People have blamed you, judged you, written you off, even wished to erase you from time itself. The truth is, you have borne the brunt of it all, although you were simply the messenger, the harbinger, you were assigned a series of events to unfold, and it made you as much a victim as any. Yet you trudged on, silently offering innumerable gifts for all those who had their eye out for them.
I came across a deeply thought-provoking piece worthy of sharing:
An Attitude of Gratitude
His Holiness the Dalai Lama says there are two ways to reach contentment. One is to acquire everything we want and desire: an expensive house, sporty car, fashionable wardrobe, gourmet foods, exotic trips, the list is endless. The problem with this approach is that this type of wanting is a bottomless pit and never leads to contentment. Sooner or later, there will be something we want but can’t have.
The second approach is to want and feel grateful for what we already possess. When we have a strong sense of contentment, it doesn’t matter whether we obtain the object of our desire or not. We are content either way. When we focus on abundance, we have more of it.
2020, You provided ample reminders about the sheer joy in the little things – a new perspective on the entire world. And so, as you are about to make an exit, much like an unwelcome guest who has overstayed his welcome, today, I would like to adopt an attitude of gratitude for the myriad gifts you bore us each day…
Thank you…
For each day that our eyes opened and bore testimony that we have life within us still.
For countless stories of grit and determination of the indomitable human spirit, a refusal to give up and the will to survive at all costs.
For all the people who helped us without even knowing it (and without an inkling of how much we needed it).
For a chance to extend ourselves to others and earn our tomorrow.
For loved ones who are with us and who make life what it is.
For our school, our teachers and friends, and the unique ways in which we created some unforgettable memories on a completely new platform!
For a ‘home’ to work from!
For the realisation that we are never too mighty to be humbled by that which is invisible.
For teaching us the value of the sanctity of human (and furry baby!!) relationships.
For the strength to pick up and keep moving each time we stumbled and fell, and felt like we would stay that way!
For a rare chance to witness nature recuperate, a magnificent reversal of roles, where animals roamed freely while humans were caged up.
For the opportunity to reset our consumer driven society and to acknowledge that that which matters most, can’t be bought.
For the resilience of each and every frontline worker who refuses to give up despite unspeakably difficult circumstances.
For the faculty of being able to count our blessings.
For everything we want and have, and especially those things we don’t want, but need.
For all our emotions- yes! Each and every one, some of which we probably never knew existed within us before this year…
Most of all, thank you for the part you played in my journey.
As I bid adieu to you, I resolve to carry forward all the lessons you arrived and hoped to leave us with.
Rest easy, my friend.
Ms. Aisha Bharmal
Head of Junior School – The Aditya Birla Integrated School
