Breathless: A reflection on 2020

2020 went by in the blink of an eye. 

It was a year where time seemed to have been frozen while it was passing by, ticking away. How ironic. 

On a personal level, a pause button seemed to have been clicked on. Life feels as if it has been put on hold for many people. 

All the while, this isolation granted many extra time with their thoughts - leading to deeper and deeper reflections. 

Many eyes have been opened. Many issues brought to light. 

For the better, and for worse. The guided and the misguided. The awakened and the manipulated. 

On one side, people rally and unite together for #BlackLivesMatter. On the other, people gather unsafely for their freedom to 'breathe' unmasked - claiming the pandemic is a hoax. 

And this is just one snapshot of a moment in time in the year. 

After we have retreated to our homes and abandoned the streets, the world seems to have taken a sigh of relief while it recovers. The waters are clearer, the trees grow gracefully, and the air is purified. 

While the air invites us to inhale such fresh air, many are not able to. A single breath becomes such a struggle. Their lungs become exhausted. Their energy depleted. Their survival depending on an alien machine. 

Right by their bedside, brave souls come to the rescue. Sacrificing their time with their families for the greater public. Every second so crucial, they barely manage to take a full breath. 

All this breathlessness. Shared. From those stuck at home in an unsafe environment to those shivering in the streets without a shelter. 

The lack of a shelter amidst empty buildings. Shops close one by one. Jobs lost. Finances drained. 

While the pause in life becomes an opportunity for some to take up new hobbies and develop themselves, it also becomes a struggle for others where every day is just a tread on the thread of survival.

While life itself is dynamic and this too shall pass, the present moment pulls us in and overwhelms us. 

Perhaps such worries can be lifted by sharing them. Perhaps two hearts connecting makes one's heart feel more whole. The hand below should reach out. And while a hand is above, reach out. Help each other. Support one another. Unite. 

"Verily, with hardship comes ease."