Thank you and Goodbye old year and welcome new year

Goodbye and Thank you 2020!

I remember saying to myself “This is going to be a great year, it’s going to be unforgettable”, as we celebrated New Year’s Eve 2019 at a beach party in Zanzibar. And indeed, there were so many unforgettable events last year. And whilst not all of them had a happy ending, it wouldn’t be fair not to say ‘Thank you and Goodbye’ as we leave 2020 behind.

Goodbye and Thank you for teaching us some valuable lessons

As it turned out, 2020 was indeed unforgettable, on so many levels and not only for us…that’s why I was so careful what I wished for this year. And I wasn’t probably the only one who was glad they could say goodbye to the last year. And thank you for all the lessons we learnt. Not in my worst dreams would I have imagined that we would spend most of 2020 in lockdown or in isolation, socially distanced from each other. I never thought I would be queuing outside of a supermarket just to buy essentials, wearing a mask to a bank or that loo rolls and flour will become so desirable.

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Read also ‘Year of Healing: 10 Positive Recovery Quotes

Kindness wasn’t cancelled

Whilst the world came to a standstill I was glad that kindness and humanity continued to exist. I witnessed it on so many occasions – I received flowers, support and best wishes messages from friends, neighbours, colleagues when I wasn’t well. And for this I was so grateful, so thank you for all the kindness. But as much as I enjoy receiving gifts I also like to give them so I made cakes for our neighbours and the key workers to say thank you. I also promised to bake cupcakes for all the staff who were taking care of me when I was in the hospital. 

As if 2020 wouldn’t already be a difficult enough year anyway, we were also affected by my accident. I suffered a bad injury six weeks before the end of 2020 and spent almost two weeks in hospital.  A van hit me as I was crossing a road. And whilst visits from family and friends were not allowed, I was grateful for the care and kindness of the hospital staff and the mutual support and unity of the patients on the ward. This helped me to go through those hard times whilst in the hospital during the times of pandemics. And that’s something I would like to say, Thank you for, before sending off 2020 with a goodbye. 

Year of struggles but also appreciation

At the beginning of the new year, I hope that this kindness is something that we will take into this year too. 2020 was definitely a challenging year but at the same time also life-changing. It took lots away but also taught me some important lessons. And for this I’m thankful. 

Did you notice how quickly people turned into scientists, politicians, economists and financial experts? Luckily not everyone was just trying to impart their clever wit on us via social media and some people actually took the opportunity to support their communities and help others through the crisis. People were discovering new skills.  

We suddenly had time to do all the things we always wanted to but never had time for. We had more time for family and ourselves. The world slowed down, our lives changed almost overnight and we found the time to observe the seasons in nature as spring turned into summer and then into autumn…  

We felt so blessed to have a garden where we could enjoy the glorious lockdown weather. I was thankful for the long evening conversations with my husband, the local walks as we discovered all those beautiful places around. Funnily enough, we moved to the area four years ago and only found those places last year.  

We realised that beauty is all around us and we don’t need to travel far to find it. We only need to keep our eyes open. Living in such a beautiful place helped me to go through the lockdown. I feel so free out in nature like I can breathe again, breathe the fresh air. It gives me wings and I can fly, it fills me with an inner calm…it fully testifies the words of my friend “Nature is God’s cathedral”.  

Everything is temporary 

I missed my walks when I was in the hospital and couldn’t walk properly. It showed me that I can’t take things for granted. Bound to the bed I had lots of time to think and started to see many things from different perspectives. There were many things I wasn’t able to do and so the lesson I learnt, even if the hard way, is that we often don’t think about things that really matter until they’re gone. Why are we so pathetic? We so often worry about small petty things in our life that the existence of really important things often escapes us.  

I started to think deeper about my priorities and appreciate every little step on the journey of my long recovery. I didn’t moan anymore that I got bored, that everything is shut and there is nowhere to go. It didn’t bother me at all – I wasn’t able to walk anyway. “At least I am not missing anything” I comforted myself with the thought that by the time the world goes into a ‘new normal’ I will be able to walk, run and hopefully even climb that Snowdon one day. This was my motivation and I was suddenly grateful for even the smallest steps I made. I was thankful for every new day. 

The year that taught us some valuable lessons Journeyofsmiley blog post a hand holding a shiny sparkle for New Year
unsplash.com @oskarssylwan

Sending off 2020 with Thank you and Goodbye

2020 was a real struggle with many tears of grief, sadness, pain but also happiness and joy followed by good and positive messages. Those were the times that reminded me that we are never alone. God was always there. He is always with me when I go through hard, fiery and overwhelming times. Thank you, God, for bringing me through a difficult year. Thank you for helping me to fight the battles of life.

A friend said to me after my accident that it is the toughest time when we learn most. And he was right, it was through those times that I discovered my inner strength. I hope therefore I can carry all that 2020 has taught me into this year. Everything that I had to go through in order to survive. With this in mind, dear 2021 I am prepared for whatever you throw at me…ready for a new day, new year and not only to survive but also to succeed and for this reason, I say “Thank you and Goodbye!”

‘Goodbye and Thank you 2020!’ is the first blog post I published on Journeyofsmiley blog, and although it was at the beginning of 2021, I think we could also relate to a lot of it at the beginning of 2022!

I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

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16 thoughts on “Goodbye and Thank you 2020!”

  1. Reading this is January 2022: NEVER would have thought that this new world as we know it would still be all around us. However, all through 2021, I saw generosity, kindness and was able to set new goals. I think through this pandemic we have all seen and felt the goodness of the human spirit. Thanks for writing and thanks for sharing.

  2. Very well said. I agree it all still applies. My husband and I made the best of the lockdown. We enjoyed more walks, more outdoor time, more time together. We even had dance parties and themed date nights at home. These are things we have never done. So 2020 taught us lessons as well. I hope you are fully recovered from your accident.

    1. Thank you so much for sharing! Looks like you managed to make the best of it! Thank you, healing is a long process but I believe that I’m on the right path of recovery now. Happy New Year!

  3. Excellent post, when you say goodbye to one year, you are welcoming a new. No one could have imagined what would take place in 2020. I agree kindness was demonstrated as we all began to live through the beginning of the pandemic but we also saw some very sad and unkind moments. Learning to recognize things that matter and appreciate what we have and who are in our lives are precious priceless moments that matter. Happy and blessed 2022! ☺️

    Pastor Natalie
    Letstakeamoment.com

  4. The world really shifted in 2020. It was an unexpected change and I think it was hard for everyone. You’re correct though. There was good that came out of it and I did learn how to knit and started gardening. I love how you focused on the positives in this article, despite the challenges you faced. Great attitude.

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