While I write this on the very last day of unforgettable 2020, my mind is clouded with so many thoughts and flashbacks of this year.
2020 has been hard. There is no denying that. But, it seems to have opened lots of new possibilities and it compelled us to take a pause and reflect on life. It occurred to me at least in my case. Though I greatly missed working together with my wonderful colleagues or missed meeting friends and spending quality time with loved ones that live far from here, I also got a chance to gather myself back, meet myself again, invest in myself and in people I dearly care for.
I do not know what all 2020 took away from me really but it has certainly given me lots of things I would forever be grateful for. The time I got to spend with my dog and my little one has been precious. I could know about the beautiful birds that nested in my backyard during spring every year which I was clueless about in past.
I have closely seen the trees changing their colors as seasons changed. have seen those beautiful flowers blooming back to life in spring despite being almost dead during freezing winter.
I read books which I always wanted to but could not. I watched movies with loved ones and created memories to cherish forever. I learned new skills, I invested in researching topics that fascinated me. I got elected to the Board of Directors at the Association for Software Testing this year. I got to closely work with the amazing team of The Test Tribe to deliver Tribal Qonf 2020 and TestFlix. Together with my fantastic program committee, I could create an impressive program for ConTEST NYC 2021 as its Program Chair.
Oh, and how could I forget this? It has been 2020 that motivated me to restart and reboot Tea-time with Testers and meet all of you once again. We added two wonderful people to our team this year, Klára and Astrid. And having them in Tea-time with Testers family makes me feel immensely proud.
Despite the tough times we all have through this year, I choose to be grateful for what it has given me. If I may, I would beg of you to do the same. On this last day of the year, allow me to share this beautiful poem by Susan Frybort:
In a world where rugs are pulled and tables turned, words fall flat and hearts get burned, there are three things I know for sure:
Life goes on,
love endures, and
gratitude is worry’s cure.
Until next time, people!
– Lalit