2020 has been a seriously strange year. It's hard to put into words. The pandemic has obviously affected everybody.
I remember when I first heard about the coronavirus, back in February 2020. My thoughts were simple. I'd lived through swine flu, bird flu, ebola, and heard about SARs. I remembered the 'swine flu skank' song from my secondary school days.
After having survived the dreaded swine flu, surely the coronavirus was nothing more than media hype. I shrugged it off as one of those random viruses that would pass with time.
Oh, how I was wrong.
2020: Year of The Pandemic
Truthfully, I don't think that the coronavirus itself is the worst thing in the world. Most people who get the virus heal. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who has had it.
When my sister came from Germany to stay with us, I met her at Heathrow with my scarf wrapped around my face. I've always wrapped my scarf round my face in winter because of the bloody cold. She cheerfully pointed out that the scarf wouldn't help with the coronavirus. (I explained that the cold weather was a worse concern for me.)
Now everyone is wearing face masks. When all this happened, information about how face masks are 'useless' and 'ineffective' was passed left-to-right. Now they're the holy-grail of health.
The True Coronavirus Casualties
I think that the true sad legacy of the coronavirus is the effect on people's emotional and mental wellbeing. Locked up in our homes. Unable to see family on Christmas. Not being able to shop in certain places. Wearing face masks. Can't go abroad.
I understand the need to contain the virus. In the UK, the NHS is our saviour. We have to stop the hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients. I wish someone told us how tough getting doctor's appointments for anything else would be though. Cancer treatments have been put aside for the sake of the coronavirus. You ring up the doctor and there's a 45-second preamble from an automated machine about coronavirus symptoms.
But to paraphrase Carrie Bradshaw, I can't help but wonder if the detriment to our mental wellbeing is the worst tragedy of 2020. Forcing people to stay inside, locked away from loved ones, can't be a good thing.
There are the sceptics too. Some folks think that the coronavirus is a hoax created by the government as part of a conspiracy. I definitely don't believe this. However, I do think that we have been given too much contradictory information. I also firmly believe that the media has stirred the pot with this one so much that it's bubbling lava.
Coronavirus vs Businesses
I'm not talking about Amazon and Primark and McDonald's. I'm talking about the local businesses that have suffered due to the pandemic. People aren't going out to buy things. Cafes and restaurants are closing down. This virus has made me think that we need a universal base income.
I'm one of the fortunate ones. Having been on benefits for over a year, I've spent most of my time building up my writing career. Investing money in Amazon and Facebook ads, promotional writing sites, and of course writing a lot. Writers are in a great situation. What better excuse to stay inside and work? Even my blog has never looked better.
I barely went outside during the first three-month lockdown. For those of us who struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, the neurosis of others gets absorbed into our psyche. That's how it's been for me. Summer was better, but winter brings overcast gloom.
Still, it hasn't been all doom-and-gloom. I wrote a new novel that I'm hoping to get an agent for in 2021. It's a young-adult satirical dystopia. I also got into an incredible relationship. 2020 is the year I fell in love. After the rain, there is a rainbow.
Looking Ahead
I'm sure there are many for whom 2020 brought goodness and hope. I met somebody who said over the second lockdown they learned French. He spoke like a native, shedding the London urban drawl.
I have so many desires and dreams for 2021. Not just writing related. I want to travel. I haven't left the UK since 2015. Resuming playing music would be great. My key goals are to get a literary agent for my next novel, and keep promoting my other work. I also have a short series I am working on under a pseudonym, which I won't go into too much about.
But what about you? What are you hoping for in 2021? Has 2020 been awful for you or have there been some good things? Have you learned more about yourself during these tough times? Let me know!
Wishing you all the best for 2021.