2020. What a year!
Do you remember a year more life-changing than 2020?
As I wave 2020 the much needed goodbye, here a few things which I managed to enjoy amongst it all.
BOOKS📚
HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD by Robert Kolker.
Disturbing and sad on so many levels but oh so interesting. I have never read anything so dense. While reading this book there were many moments when I forgot this was a non-fiction. You cannot read this book without being emotional.
HOMELAND ELEGIES by Ayad Akhtar.
I am a fan of Akhtar’s work and this book is another must-read. A cross between memoir, novel and short essays. Story of a Pakistani family. A journey of an American son and his immigrant father.
THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig.
Comforting read. A story of decisions and regrets. A story of how our small gestures have big impact on our surrounding. Therapy in a book.
WHY WE CAN’T SLEEP: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun.
If you are a woman born between 1965-1980 then you must read this book. It provides a detailed explanation with statistics through stories of various women why we feel, the way we feel. You are not alone and it is perfectly okay to not have it all.
MOVIES/ TV SERIES📺
Thanks to being indoors a lot in 2020, we all streamed a lot of shows and movies. This list includes the ones I enjoyed in 2020 not necessarily released in 2020.
TV Series: YELLOWSTONE
Just watch it.
TV Series: BROADCHURCH
Suspense! Mystery! Crime! Drama! Emotional overload! Rocking performance! Need more from the Alec/Miller team.
TV Series: THE CROWN
The 4th season of The Crown was O.M.G and I binge-watched it in a few days. Can’t wait for the next season to unravel.
Movie: SOUL
A great reminder that what being alive is all about.
PODCASTS🎧
Wrote about my favorite podcasts HERE. Check them out.
MUSIC🎵
Back in May when things were surroundings were getting gloomier by the hour, Atif Aslam’s Asma-ul -Husna brought the much need hope and positivity.
Enjoyed songs by Dua Lipa, Maren Morris, Dan & Shay, Harry Styles, Chris Stapleton, Waxahatchee.
Towards the end of the year really enjoyed the cover performances of famous Pakistani songs in the Velo Sound Station.
Tools- HOME🏠
ALWAYS PAN from OUR PLACE
Thanks to staying in, there was a lot of cooking to be done and the Always Pan replaced a variety of skillets and pans making cooking and cleaning really easy. You can read about my experience in depth HERE.
WIRELESS CHARGER
We now have central location for charging the phones and this upright charger has made it very convenient for everyone. Best thing is that it works for most of the android as well as iPhone out there.
Tools- Skincare/Makeup😀
CLARINS
A definitive yes. For example, I can feel the difference when I don’t use it consecutively for a couple of days. The serum is not heavy and super oily like most out there and there is a noticeable smoothness to the skin in the morning.
HABITS/CHANGES🌌
UNSUBSCRIBING
I am not a shop-acholic but had subscribed to soo many promotional emails/ newsletters/lists that it had started getting messy. There would be tons and tons of emails for things I longer needed/appreciated. Hence, I would waste time and energy going through those and eventually deleting them too while I could have used the same energy elsewhere.
Finally I got to unsubscribing/unenrolling. That does not mean no promotional email but only the ones I do actually read or need.
Finally I have complete control over my inbox and it surely belongs to me.
MINDFULNESS
This is a HUGE topic and one which I am still learning.
Starting from being mindful of what we buy, eat to what we say and do. Making conscious efforts to be in the moment, enjoy the moment and truly live the moment.
These books helped me make these small changes:
–Power of Habit
–Atomic Habits
–The Four Agreements
MOMENTS⛰️
NATURE & OUTDOORS:
There is a reason why nature is the best therapy. In 2020 especially the outdoors as the best escape. A breath of fresh air did a lot to keep it all going.
RAMADAN:
This was the silver lining to 2020 for me. I was able to spend more time praying and reflecting as we all stayed at home. A part of me did miss the hustle-bustle and excitement of this holy month but for some reason the slow and calmness topped it all.
CROSS-STITCHING
Wrote the back story in this post but got back to cross-stitching. Been really enjoying it. Some how it automatically slows down time and I also feel relaxed. Not finished yet but to be honest I am purposely taking it slow because somehow when I am in the zone I forget all the fires around me 🙂
That’s a wrap for the year which was 2020. I am sure after posting this article I will realize that I have forgotten a ton of things worth mentioning but hey that’s what follow up posts are all about.
Want to leave you with a quote by G.K Chesterton
Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a man can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of rules and set tasks.”
