We're nearing the end of the year. And it has been a wild one. From start to finish. I'm sure we've all seen the memes and jokes that were mad. And I'm sure we all agree that this year has been absolute madness. From an over-escalated argument that almost turned into World War 3 due to Trump, to the wildfires in Australia. The shocking deaths of many great people, and of course COVID-19 taking over the world and shutting down country after country.
All though some countries seem to have controlled the virus and are moving along with their lives, many countries haven't. And even though the amount of deaths isn't a ridiculously large number, people still died. People have lost loved ones, or have been close to losing their loved ones.
It's safe to say that this year has been tough one for the most of us. Even if you haven't directly been affected by the virus, the lockdown and everything that came with it has been emotionally and mentally draining for many. But with every challenge and tough moment in life, there are lessons to be learned. That is why, we at African Drops decided to ask our close circle two questions for this blog.
Keeping the whole year that past in mind, we asked them: 'What is the biggest lesson you have learned this year?' & 'What are you most thankful for?'. And we would like to share their answers with you, hopefully you can find yourself in their answers and maybe take in some points that you haven't considered yourself. Don't let one downfall win, a new day is a new chance to do better.
Here are our favourites:
1. 'Don't stress about things that you can't change. Instead, change the things that stress you out.'
'I'm most thankful for the people that are there for each other. You're not alone on this world, care for each other. Just the thankfulness that you can receive from the people around you is worth more than money.'
2. 'No matter how I feel, I'll never be the only person to feel that way. And it's better to talk about these things than to avoid them.'
'I'm thankful for the people I hold dearly, my friends and family, are all healthy and that I got to see them develop their talents and selves from up close.'
3. 'Even though many opportunities were seized from our lives this year, I feel very blessed by being able to say that I still have moved forward. Our capability to adapt to trying times, is not just a given. Its aided and facilitated by different forms of capital that we have access to, access which is not granted to everybody in this world. Therefore I am thankful for all the warmth and progress that I have received this past year.
Apart from counting my blessings, the most important lesson this year was learning how to be with just myself. Social isolation was very scary for many people, since you’re confronted with yourself. It was an extremely trying year, but I’m very sure I’ve come to recalibrate meaning and significance in my life, which is a beautiful lesson in itself.'
4. 'I’m grateful for my family, friends and the love that surrounds me. In trying times like these it is important to be nurtured and have nourishment. I feel blessed to end this year with my and my loved ones health. I’m also grateful for the amazing learning opportunities that have come my way and forced me to be the person I am now. Thank you 2020 for all these blessings and lessons.'
'The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is to enjoy moments and small achievements. I’m always running towards the next goal but never take the time to enjoy my achievements along the way. I learned to practice more self love and self care.'
5. 'I'm thankful for the resilience the people around me continue to show every day, making the best out of their mental health, their education and their careers despite the stress of the world's current state.'
'I think everyone was forced to be confronted with certain parts of themselves this year that they could run away from before lockdown. This year's biggest lesson, for me, was to stop running and start accepting who I am when no one's looking.'
6. 'I’m grateful for the health and safety of me, my family and friends. With everything that’s going on; the illness, the suffering and the loss, I’m just grateful that those that I love are safe and protected.'
'The biggest lesson I learned is to realize how blessed I am. We’re so used to things that it makes us forget that it’s actually a blessing and a privilege. Simply just waking up is a blessing especially in these times. Seeing how much others are struggling and how I am not, makes me realize my blessings and I am extremely grateful of everything I have. I don’t take anything nor anyone for granted anymore.'
7. 'Make sure you develop yourself in every aspect of life!'
'I'm most thankful for life. Many people died this year. It's often something we forget to be thankful for.'
8. 'I guess the biggest lesson I learned is that life is just unpredictable.'
'I'm most thankful for my friends and family, and that we have the technology to stay in contact wherever we are.'
9. 'Know your worth on the basis of time and not knowledge, because often enough, you can do more than you think.'
'I'm most thankful for the new insights I have when it comes to downfall and moving further.'
10. ' I've learnt that you shouldn't pull on friendships and people. I noticed that the energy I put into people wasn't reciprocated. The moment I stop contacting people, they wouldn't start the conversation themselves. So now, I focus on the people that do give me back the energy I give them.'
'I'm thankful for many things, more than I could mention. The last few years I have been working on my inner peace. I'm training myself to really take in each moment, stop for a moment and realise that it's a special moment.'
11. 'The world is a tough place, so stand up for yourself. Stay true to who you are and treat everyone with the respect that you expect from them.'
'I'm most grateful for my close friends and family, for always wanting to listen to the things that happen in my own world.'
12. 'The biggest lesson that I have learned this year is that we as people can achieve so much for each other when we work together. This was big year for the fight for equality, and in this year many big historical moments happened because of it. We still have a long way to go, but we can be proud of what we have achieved together.'
'I'm most thankful for the fact that my loved ones and myself went through the year healthy, keeping all the setbacks in mind.'
13. 'In the past year I have learned that life doesn't always go as you had hoped. I had hoped that 2020 would be my year. My life took a massive turn, nothing went as how I planned for it to go. And to be honest, I don't mind at all. Even though I had many setbacks, I learned to find myself again and fully focus on what I want for myself and what I stand for. Letting go of things and people is hard, but I feel freer than ever. So maybe 2020 still became my year in some way.'
These were our favourite quotes. We loved being able to ask our friends this to find out what they have been through and to understand what they took out of the year. Truly messaged that we were happy to receive. We hope these quotes bring meaning to your personal situation.
We'd like to thank the people that participated in this blog of course. A big shout out to Joseph (@jcmilane), Ridwan (@thatkid_rid), Claudia (@claudiasantosx), Jesse (@jessedevr), Esmelysa, Steven (@stayvun), Jason (@jasonsieval), Anniek (@ghantas), Nixon (@nixonmukiza), Jamal (@iamjamalhussain), Maria (@mar.isindewar), Uma (@umapuma1), Fatima (@miskiyasmin).
Do you think you know who wrote what? Let us know in our comments on Instagram and Facebook. As for the other people that participated, the honourable mentions, you'll find them coming up in our social media stories soon, so keep an eye out for those as well!
Thank you again for reading and following us on the Journey. We hope you received the message they way we intended. Don't be afraid to share with your friends and family, and we'll see you in the next blog post.
Peace,
Team AD.