A year of promises, a year to hope, and a year of surprises. The scribbles from the December diary had a single entry.
New Year came in and before we realized it, the calendar of 2020 began to roll. A little into the third month, Germany declared a complete lockdown.
My husband and I were confined in the four walls of a studio apartment.
For us, it was the greatest challenge.
Office work had to go on as usual. It also meant soundproofing the other activities inside.
Surely life was not the same. But surely there was an opportunity to better time management and to polish mutual respect and adjustments. Within days, we just fell into a routine.
Every day appeared a busier version of the weekend. The question of ‘my space’ or ‘your space’ vanished. We both kept our respective laptops on the sole dining table and stayed focused using our earplugs.
Gradually, sharing the coffee, taking a bite of chocolate, smiling often, and saying ‘thanks’ became a part of our life. We started observing the little joys of togetherness.
Beyond, the conscious decision to stay positive, some days just couldn’t keep the positivity around. Worrying over family and the inability to be around in the hours of crisis, drained me mentally and physically.

To keep my mind occupied, I started reading and developed the habit of mindful meditation.
Well, with plans to visit my family in India dropped, and the stories of virus painting the pages of e-papers, I channelized my energies into taking up a 100-day challenge of mindfulness.
In simple words, I learned the art of breathing. Breathe in and breathe out with complete awareness of body and mind.
What amazed me is the fact that I never did observe my breathing just the way I did not observe the way I drink water or eat my food.
It was lockdown restrictions of 2020 that opened my eyes to the beauty of simple things. I realized awareness. I became observant and grateful for every day. Life goes on and the year too. Yet, there are more reasons to say Thank You.
2021, Deeya Nambiar