Just A Small Town Girl…

Writing a New Year’s post has become somewhat of a tradition for me since I started this blog 7 years ago. It’s so nice to be able to look back through my little time capsule and see what my annual highlights have been and how they’ve differed from year to year: travel, new jobs, new additions to the family, new skills etc. But life certainly threw us a curveball this year didn’t it?!

Like most people, I started 2020 ready to do so many things and then along came Covid. This has been the first year since 2013 that I haven’t left the country…first world problems I know, but I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t affected me and my morale. Those little milestones that we used to look forward to, like trips abroad, weddings, concerts, or just random social gatherings scattered throughout the year, the events that unwittingly kept us going, were largely wiped out in 2020. We really took those seemingly little things for granted. Without them, it’s often felt like all the days have blurred into one and like time is flying by at lightning speed.

Working from home for over 9 months straight with little time off has also sufficiently fried my brain. But most of all, the lack of human contact with some of my nearest and dearest has been starting to weigh on me, I often find myself feeling hopeless, like I’m in a constant state of longing with no end in sight. But I take comfort in knowing that I’m not alone in feeling like this, we’re all in the same boat, all taking it one day at a time, and all cursing the incompetence of the Tory government! (if you’re unlucky enough to live in the UK).

Now before this post starts turning too depressing, I would like to say that I am extremely thankful for the good health of my nearest and dearest and hope and pray that it continues until we’re out of the woods. Aside from the physical and mental health implications that this pandemic has brought with it, it’s also given us the opportunity for the first time ever to hit the brakes on our fast-paced lives. We’ve all had the chance to sit down, reflect and realise what’s important to us. We’ve become more resourceful. All myths about the effectiveness of remote working have been dispelled! We’ve paid more attention to nature and the environment. We’ve got concrete evidence that women make the best world leaders! And there’s been more time to spend on ourselves and with our families; I genuinely feel like I’ve grown so much closer to my parents this year thanks to furlough schemes and working from home.

So as much as 2020 has thwarted our normal way of life and so many of our plans, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this year has been “cursed” or an entire waste. I’m a glass half full kinda girl!

Here are some of my personal highlights from this year (in no particular order):

• I celebrated my socially distanced 28th birthday, woop woop
• I created my own morning and night time skincare routines which I’ve stuck to every single day since April 😀 #DermatologistInTheMaking
• I completed 2 ridiculously intense HIIT workout challenges
• I saved a nice chunk of money by working from home
• I was much more productive and focused when it came to my job and the work I do. I really feel like I’ve grown so much in my role and gained a lot of confidence this year
• I saw 3 of my cousins get hitched via Zoom and was fortunate enough to attend one of my best friend’s weddings in the flesh!
• I bought my first ever electric toothbrush 😛
• I completed an insightful online Harvard course called Sikhism Through Its Scriptures
• I started investing in stocks and ETFs for the first time!
• We celebrated our one year anniversary and had our rokha/takka ❤
• I tried out morning and bedtime yoga and actually noticed a big difference!
• I started cooking a lot more regularly and eating more healthy stuff
• I started my Invisalign treatment, so snacking in between meals is officially a thing of the past!
• I’ve been on a mission to do 10K steps every day to stop myself from turning into a couch potato without my daily commute to the office!
• I watched all 9 seasons of One Tree Hill (again) and Netflix and chilled to Money Heist, Umbrella Academy and Haunting of Bly Manor
• After giving myself a botched haircut, I started taking good care of my hair for the first time ever. I’ve been using sulfate-free shampoos, conditioners and oils and have been giving myself regular head massages
• I reached a 125K Naam Simran target with my family just in time for the new year ❤

While I won’t be celebrating the start of the new year by going to the Gurdwara with my mum as we have done for donkeys’ years, we’ll still be staying up to listen to prayers until the clock strikes midnight. She’s frying samoseh in the kitchen as we speak. 😛

As of right now, 2021 is a complete mystery but whatever the new year brings, I’m ready for it. While 2020 may not have been the best year for many of us, it’s definitely one that will go down in history and for my own peace of mind, I chose to focus on the positives.

Call me crazy but I have a feeling that 2021 will be a good’un, we just have to stay strong and soldier on.

Let’s leave the whole ‘new year new me’ mantra in the past and instead try and start each day from here on out with a positive thought and a grateful heart…see you on the other side dear reader. 😀