2022- an abomination of a year
Alexa cue 22 by Taylor Swift.
As 2022 was on the cusp of getting over, I realised that somehow the year was equally- if not bad for almost everyone I knew (let’s not forget the surprising validation of strangers over reels and Tiktok).
Let’s talk about me- I started 2022 isolated and sick with COVID- and then somehow, things went south. While 2022 did feel like a fresh start as we came out of a catastrophic war of breaths- it felt more like a hangover.
Initially, everyone was ecstatic, and it felt like things would get normal- like in the pre-COVID times. Little did we know, like a wild night full of boozing around, 2022 came with its set of unprecedented flashbacks. But, was 2022 really bad? Well, I can’t speak for everyone because each individual had to deal with something excruciatingly painful that they’d never likely heal from. For me, the year was like a rollercoaster- just like every year. But it did come around casually picking flowers from my garden of friends.
When I lived in the year 2022, I loathed it- because it made me realise how friendships can be emotionally draining. Especially by the end of 2022- but that is the tale of another time. Call it the ‘new year, new me’ fever, but I have come to realise how it was indeed a blessing in disguise. I am a believer in destiny, and I truly believe that sometimes bad things happen so that we can get ahead in life.
When the year was about to end, I counted the times when I cried and my mental health went into shambles; but, I forgot to add one of the biggest accomplishments of 2022- I wrote. I wrote and wrote endlessly. I was busy for most of the year- and I stepped the first stair toward becoming a journalist. So, that counts as the biggest green flag of the year, doesn’t it?
2022 was more about learning and unlearning than leisurely sipping a pina colada and reading a romance book by the pool. Oh, but I did read forty-four books in 2022, so that counts as something. I also realised how I needed to put myself first- I stopped contacting a bunch of people to realise I was better off them.
The last, and probably the crucial thing that 2022 taught me was- You’re on your own, kid- and there is nothing wrong with it. So, was 2022 truly an abomination of a year, or was it a much-needed hangover for us to spring back up and face the reality of co-existing with COVID while desperately tugging onto the thread of the past and wanting to go back to simpler times?
