Highlights of 2020

This year was replete with flavourful memories – while some were a slightly bitter pill to swallow, others made me smile. Here are a few memorable moments of the year –

• Welcoming the new year with a new job – after spending 2.5 years as a business analyst at Vodafone Idea, it was time for a change. Shifting sectors from telecommunications to banking led me to start from scratch, and I am sure it is going to be a journey to remember
• Overnight stay at Matheran – our annual family tradition of going somewhere for a day and just lazing around without a care in the world. Everything was a pleasant memory – the long cab ride, the walk from Aman Lodge to the resort while protecting our food stash from the monkeys, being stalked (and nearly attacked) by the monkeys, the sumptuous food (and the disco night)
• Visiting Marine drive at daybreak for nearly a couple of weeks – walking 5+ km everyday and practising music at the seaside was an unparalleled experience. Mr. Robin Sharma is right – there is some magic in the early mornings.
• Reconnecting with old friends – I am grateful to have friends who are just there, and even though we meet after so many years, we are able to pick up right where we left off. Be it school friends or college buddies, I am truly grateful for them. Right from baking brownies to lunches to dinners and impromptu beach visits and sleepovers and dancing the night out, I will cherish the tiny moments the most.
• Seeing college buddies get married – sometimes, things are just meant to click and people are just meant to be. Although I was kinda expecting it, seeing Jahnavi and Hardik embark on a lifelong journey together was a pleasant surprise
• Realizing the value of routine check-ups (especially dental) and learning how fear turns out to be the reason we end up screwing most of the things up. 
• Seeing my cousin Aditya get married to the love of his life – Chaitali. This was one wedding I can’t possibly forget. Right from dancing our hearts out at the pre-wedding party to learning at the last moment that the venue couldn’t host the reception and wedding (thank you COVID-19!), to organizing a small ceremony at home, the weekend couldn’t have been more memorable. Love in the time of Corona they say!
• Playing Mafia and charades with cousins will always be something I look forward to (especially when the opponents can’t manage to guess the movie Fiza in 3 minutes after individually guessing “Fizz” and “aa”!, while I can make my team guess Dum Laga ke Haisha in flat 4 seconds!)
• Working from home during lockdown – this was definitely something I hadn’t expected. However I am immensely grateful as it reduced my daily commute from 3 hours to 10 footsteps. Not to mention my sleep cycle going for a complete toss (Thank you Niki!)
• Speaking of Niki, having her as my roommate after 3 long years seems different. A good-different though – she’s back to raiding my wardrobe!
• Seeing what can be perceived as the biggest disappointment of the year as an opportunity to learn and grow – the COVID-19 induced lockdown actually led me to pick up the rather underrated skills of cooking, doing the dishes, sweeping and mopping. I never actually thought I would be able to cook roti-subzi, pizza and cakes like a pro!
• Speaking of picking up skills – Mandala art was by far the coolest thing I did this year! Every piece of art was a challenge, and I loved every bit of it. It pushed me to be creative and try new things
• Being introduced to masks as the new normal and seeing people do crazy stuff like pairing face masks with their clothes.
• Meeting some incredible people and learning more about them (and understanding more about myself in the process).
• Realizing that the things we have been taking for granted for far too long are the ones that actually matter – good health, being with loved ones, amazing friends and tiny moments to celebrate
• Falling in love with Amma’s garden of succulents. I never thought I would be so thrilled at seeing succulents flourish. Amma’s garden has grown on me!
• Treating myself to wireless Bose headphones (something I had wanted to gift myself since I was thirteen) and iPhone (something that I had desired for the better part of a decade) – although they seem amazingly crazy fantabulous at first, the novelty ultimately fades.
• Unrealized dreams – I really wished for the opportunity to go chasing the Aurora Borealis and visiting the Santa Claus village in Rovaniemi. I guess all the fun plans will need to be postponed until the end of the pandemic or the beginning of the vaccination.
• Yet another lesson on love and loss. Hearing about Craft Thatha’s untimely demise was a painful reminder that life is unfair and really sucks at times. What we can do is celebrate the people we love, cherish their love for life, honour their achievements and make the best of the little time that we have on this shiny blue marble.
• Seeing people move on. Stuff happens whether we like it or not – we just have to trust that whatever happens is for the best and that everything will make sense retrospectively.
• On a happier note, seeing Kriti purchase her first car and drive it like an absolute boss! Driving to the Worli Seaface early in the morning and just sitting there mesmerised by the beauty of the waves and then sharing a year worth of news over masala chai, garlic bread and sandwiches.
• Seeing Neeti get engaged – I knew that we would all eventually get married. But seeing her look so stunning on her engagement day just took my breath away (I had kinda guessed that she would be the first one in the college gang to get hitched)!
• Speaking of getting hitched, virtually attending Akshay and Meghana’s wedding. I really wish I could be there and see the ceremony live. It’s crazy – another cousin married! Last but one wicket down I guess!
• Long walks and conversation with my soul sister after nearly 11 months – talking to some people makes you feel at home. Walking with masks still sucks – there isn’t much you can do about it though.
• Enjoying the weekend at a bestie’s farmhouse – walking to the dam, feeding the birds, amazing lemongrass tea and candlelight dinner! I couldn’t have asked for a more magical weekend
• The early morning trips to the Seaface with my college gang – just made me grateful for every smile, every memory and every moment.
• Taking steps in the right direction – no matter how tiny, moving forward is always better
• The visit to IKEA in Navi Mumbai – I couldn’t possibly be happier about the experience. Right from maintaining social distancing norms to the innovative products and ideas and the delicious food – they nailed everything! Definitely worth a visit

2020 was truly a tough year – with unexpected challenges, a lot of personal growth and unending gratitude. I hope that we continue to take forward the lessons we learnt this year – choosing family and health over everything else, and treasuring every moment we have with our loved ones.