Happy Holidays 2020, too

DEC 26 — That’s the joke I keep seeing online. 2022 sounds like 2020 too and with Omicron closing borders, suspending VTL lanes and upending travel plans — I can see why the joke hits a little too close to home.

Honestly, I struggle to grasp that nearly two years have passed since we all heard of Covid-19.

I remember the early days when the virus was geographically contained, and it seemed like an issue that would only affect us fleetingly.

I don’t think any of us imagined a global pandemic — a scale never seen before — especially when you realise that even at the height of the world wars, people were still travelling between nations.

Yet somehow for the last couple of years, we have seen a world shut down and shut off from each other. Leave aside your politics on Covid management policies — and I know the debate can be divisive — but regardless of where you are on the effectiveness of lockdowns, we can all appreciate these are unprecedented times.

For me, the last couple of years haven’t actually happened – I often find myself saying “last year” when I mean to say 2019.

And it has taken a toll on all of us — the constant uncertainty, the volatility of the markets, the issues in global supply chains and that for so many they haven’t had a chance to travel, to see loved ones and even leave their homes for stretches at a time.

There are the individuals who are reliant on daily wages or for whom remote work is not an option. For them, the past two years have also been financially draining on top of the psychological and emotional stress.

In short, these have been two very tough years.

So, as the year wraps up and I struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that the year is over, I want to wish everyone reading this “Happy holidays” and to say that if you are able, try and look into the positive aspects of these past two years.

Many businesses have begun to understand that work from home is possible — enabling people to build flexible careers.

Even better, for the first time there is serious talk about four-day weeks as companies realised what mattered was not the number of hours but the output of work.

People also made an effort to keep in touch with friends. I am grateful for the friends who sent me notes, photos, packages to make up for the distance.

And I hope, despite all the darkness, you find light and love this end of year.

*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.