The One Called 2021

I wanted to remember 2021 in a poignant way, so I figured I’d do it in the best way I know how: through words. 

Like most, I have lost my proper sense of time. If not for haphazardly documented moments up in “the cloud”, I would have forgotten some events took place just this year, or at all. But a lot did happen, marking 2021 as a pivotal period for me. Early in the year, I discovered a new workout which matched my want for musicality and variety in movement to get the sweat dripping.

Although I am not a specifically religious person, I make it a point to “give something up” for Lent. As my Lenten sacrifice for the year, I decided to give up meat, dairy and other animal products. After essentially going vegan for 40 days, I became less picky with my food (as ironic as it may sound). I grew to love vegetables that I hated before like mushrooms and bell peppers. I realized that a lot of dishes can be made vegan with the right substitutes, herbs and spices. This has then led me to become plant-based or flexitarian, as some may call it.

(A side note: In 2019, my commitment was to avoid single-use plastics— a habit that I carried with me until this day. Just the same, my changed eating behavior helps reduce my carbon footprint, which is my main motivation for these actions.)

Woken up by the problems happening out there yet feeling frustrated with the inability to help, I was spurred to join organizations as a volunteer. For the next few months I got to virtually meet and coordinate with fellow changemakers across the country on several exciting things. It surprised me how young the majority was of the volunteer pool; I could only wish that I heeded the calling for social impact at a much younger age then.

Despite mostly being confined within the boundaries of home, it feels like I developed a wider view of the world. Through my organizations, I became more involved in climate action— which I realized is ultimately one of my passions. Apart from eating mindfully, I pledged to be more mindful of my purchases and distanced myself from fast fashion. The pandemic truly made me re-evaluate my lifestyle and challenged what really matters.

Had I known the things I know now, I would have done some things differently back then. But it’s not about what could have been, but rather what happens from this point on. Most certainly, am entering the new year as a changed person— essentially just a creative rephrase of the cliché “new year, new me”.

For some reason, I have been living some moments like they were the last. Yet it was not in a tone of gloom, but on the contrary, of hope. No one knows for sure what 2022 holds— but I do have a couple of ideas which I would love to see happen. Immensely thankful for the year that has been, and will be, like always.