When the world keeps talking about how terrible the year 2020 has been, I must tell, it was wonderful for me. Of course, the pandemic is terrible and I completely agree it is a nightmare. But it doesn’t mean there’s nothing good about this year.
I imagined 2020 to be the year when my dreams will come true… I was planning on lots of traveling, quitting my 9 to 6 job, and some other significant things happening.
And when the pandemic came to Europe, I felt hopeless. No more traveling. Quitting my job with such an uncertain future felt irresponsible. And all the other things seemed barely possible too.
Then, little by little, some good things started happening. At that time, I had no idea they will add up to another. And how they’ll make me feel this year is wonderful… But now that is exactly how I feel. Thankful for the wonderful 2020.
The Wonderful 2020
Good thing number One
First, I got caught up on Duolingo. At the beginning of quarantine, I was so bored spending all the time at home, that I downloaded Duolingo app and just for fun started learning German. Then, I also began Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and Chinese lessons. For some unknown reason, Spanish and German were the ones I was most interested in. But I decided to concentrate most on German. And today is the 247th day in a row when I’m learning German. Before 2020, there were no more than five German words I knew. Now, I follow German people on Instagram and can understand the main point or sometimes more of what they’re saying or writing. I also started reading some blogs in German and watching German TV shows on Netflix. Never before have I learned a language just for fun and not because of necessity.
Good thing number Two
The second good thing that happened this year is that I decided to quit my full-time job no matter how unclear the future was. And it still is unclear. But I’m very glad I made this decision because it led to other amazing things. So let’s move on to the third thing.
Good thing number Three
The third good thing is that I finally spend quality time with my man. He’s working on late evenings and nights, so our schedules used to be very different. And when we get to spend one or two hours together, I was very happy. But now I get to spend much more than that with him. And I can feel how it strengthened our relationship and we both are much happier.
Good thing number Four
Also, now when I don’t have a full-time job (nor any other kind of job) I can be a dedicated student. I’m in my second year of a Master’s degree. This semester is my last one and I have to finish writing my thesis. When I had to fit in the full-time job, studies, and personal life in my schedule, it was all very chaotic and I wasn’t feeling well most of the time. I had lots of headaches, not enough sleep, couldn’t perform my best nor at my job, nor at university. Now I can study as much as I need and still take care of myself (hence, sleep enough, eat on time, and rest). The quality of me being a student rose to highs.
Good thing number Five
Besides, thanks to the better pandemic situation during Summer, we could do a little traveling and visited Latvia and Estonia. I expected this trip to be incredibly boring but actually it was me who was incredibly wrong. The trip was amazing and still brings me the best memories.
Good thing number Six
And then, we got a dog! Freddie joined our family and made turned our world upside down. At first, it was terribly difficult. Peeing every hour not necessarily where he should, biting a lot, demanding attention all the time, chewing everything that fits into his mouth, etc. But now it’s getting better and we both are finally truly happy to have him. So yeah, we got Freddie and it’s what makes 2020 a year to remember.
Good thing number Seven
Well, and now I’m being generous for myself. Which makes the end of this year full of self-love. We were a bit stuck in the new Freddie Routine. And I wasn’t taking care much of myself or my boyfriend. But then I remembered what my grandpa told me once. First you have to love yourself, only then can you love others. So I bought 16 books. I usually never buy books and get them from the library. But I thought that they’d be a good investment in myself. And maybe they’ll help to get a better job, and that should lead to us getting a new home eventually. Also, I treated myself with an amazing agenda (quite expensive tho), which should make me want to work on my goals with even more passion the next year.
And I put the guilt away. I know it’s about time I should start looking for a job. Also, I think I should spend more time studying extra courses. And I probably should be reading those books I got faster. But don’t let myself think that way. It’s my time and I probably won’t be in such a situation until I’ll be on parental leave someday so I’m going to enjoy it as I want. Watching friends, cooking for my love, learning German, taking baths, and playing with Freddie.
So yeah, surprisingly, it turns out it was a wonderful 2020. Lots of things I waited for came to dust but instead lots of other great things happened. I couldn’t be happier nor more thankful for them. 2020 was wonderful.
P.s. If you’re a dog person, check out Freddie’s Instagram.