Dear 2020: An open letter to the last year | AD

[AD] This post is a paid for advertorial in collaboration with Keep Wales Safe.

DEAR 2020,

Well, where do I begin? 

When the slate was wiped clean after 2019, none of us could have anticipated what the next twelve months would have in store. 

There was the natural hope and optimism that comes once the clock inches past midnight on the first day of a new year, and everyone was armed with new hopes, goals and resolutions. 

The first couple of months feel like a distant memory now, but during those first few weeks of the year, 2020 you provided me with memories and experiences that I’ll remember as positive attributes of the past twelve months; being in my element at a concert with two of my closest friends, and having a day of work experience in a newsroom in February where the first whispers of change were exchanged. 

But no one had an inkling as to how the ensuing weeks would be the only ones that held some semblance of normality for the rest of the year. 

When the first full lockdown was announced in March, you saw how everyone had to adjust to a new reality; working from home, limited or no opportunities to see family and friends, stockpiling… People will have enough hand sanitiser, packets of pasta and toilet roll to remember you by, 2020.  

But, despite the lament that came for some due to their lives being restricted in so many ways, it was a positive thing for others. 

Some disabled people like me welcomed new opportunities that came as a result of everyone else working from home. Whilst it was frustrating to see adjustments such as working remotely, phone/virtual appointments, and online learning – things many had been asking and campaigning for, for years, being made available over night because it was something non-disabled people now needed, it was a relief that people finally realised all that could be achieved from the comfort of your own home. 

My first ever job interview via Zoom was something I didn’t expect when we welcomed you, 2020. But, it meant that the consequences on my health were far less substantial than a trek to an office would have been. 

It’s adjustments like these you have afforded us this year, and they have made a positive difference amongst the fog and the darkness. 

• 

• 

As everyone navigated the next few months, ‘You’re on mute’ became the tagline of the year, and communities joined forces to keep the world, or in my case, Wales safe.

2020, you have given us the opportunity to work together to keep Wales safe. You shone the spotlight on the best traits in humanity; we all did our part and supported the NHS with rapturous clapping, and staying safe. When infections rates dropped, you gave us the opportunity to realise that, by coming together (at a safe distance), positive things could stem from our efforts. 

When casting my mind back over the past twelve months, I can’t help but acknowledge the fragments of worry that have slotted into a permanent place in my mind; anxiety I’m sure many will be able to relate to in terms of concerns for the health and happiness of their loved ones. 

2020, it’s safe to say that you have been characterised by hardship; you have cloaked the world in uncertainty, taken so much from so many people, and given a stage to hate and heartbreak. 

But, amongst it all, you have given some the opportunity to think and look at things differently.

Personally, you have afforded me the opportunity to pinpoint what’s important. I’ve gained opportunities I never thought I’d have (writing an article for the BBC being one of them), and I have reached milestones I’ve dreamt of and worked hard for for a very long time.

Securing a job in the charity sector back in May, and stepping into that role in the midst of a pandemic was an interesting experience to say the least, but it’s one of the things I’m most thankful for and proud of this year.

But, I think it’s the smaller things that have beheld the most meaning throughout the twelve months you have given us, 2020. Whether it was a catch up with friends when the restrictions were lifted slightly, a chat with a grandparent through a window or door, or simply the appreciation for the banana bread that everyone seemed to bake back in March and April; you have bestowed perspective and urged an appreciation of the smaller things, perhaps even the previously mundane. 

I didn’t pick up a new hobby or indulge in virtual quiz after virtual quiz during lockdown, but that’s OK. Besides the rules and guidelines, we don’t have to carry a token from this year over to the next; if all someone has done is navigate from one day to the next without too much heartache, then that is enough. 

• 

• 

I’ve felt encased in a shoal of anxiety a number of times this year, but lockdown hasn’t felt too far removed from how my life was pre-pandemic. I’ve worked/studied from home for the past few years and the restrictions haven’t felt too unlike the ones assigned to me by ME/CFS, but that’s another story.

You’ve caused everyone to become well acquainted with separation this year, 2020. But with that, innovative ways of staying connected have been formed.   

As we wave goodbye to you, I can only hope that 2021 will bring the opportunity for everyone to reunite with their loved ones in a safe way, and that the fog you have cast over us this year can be lifted to make space for more light. 

We know that 2021 is not our fairy godmother; the clock isn’t going to strike midnight and everything is going to be ok. However, it represents the hope that we all need. For it to be what we want it to be, we need to come together now more than ever, for one last push back against COVID.

If we continue to work together as communities, and as people, and adhere to the guidelines, we can help protect our loved ones and the NHS who we have found renewed appreciation and thankfulness for this year. By helping them, they can help us, and although we’re all separated right now, we can work together and hope for more light and positivity next year. 

2021, if you’re listening, please be kinder to us all. 

*

News of recent lockdowns and restrictions has hit so many of us hard. If you’re in Wales, like me, the Keep Wales Safe campaign is designed to remind us all of what we can do to keep our country safe, to protect the NHS, and to make seeing our loved ones a reality again. 

Separation, isolation and loneliness can be difficult (if you’re finding things tricky right now, I have included a list of charities that can help below); I miss family and friends so much, but if staying home is a sacrifice we have to make in order to keep them safe and well, then I for one am willing to wait. 

Together we can keep Wales safe. 

The following charities, helplines and websites are available throughout the festive period, and beyond to provide support, advice, and signposting.

---

Mind / Mind Cymru

C.A.L.L Mental Health helpline

Time To Change Wales

Place2Be (Child mental health support)

Samaritans

meddwl.org

---

Since this is my last blog post of the year, I want to take the opportunity to say thank you so much for all your support throughout 2020. In a year that has been so full of change and uncertainty, it means the world that you’ve taken time out of your day to read what I have to say, and that you continue to return here time and time again. It means more than you know.

Here’s to better and more joyful times in 2021!

Elin x