If you allow yourself to imagine what 30 years from today is going to be like, give yourself a minute…. You can’t. At least not as well as you would have thought you could have, two years ago.

2020 A.D. taught all of us that no matter how hard we try and how accurate we think we will be, there is always going to be an element of absolute uncertainty when it comes to our world and more importantly, our lives. Truth be told, the best analysts hadn’t been able to predict the immense impacts on our lives, when nature struck back. The best business people couldn’t help but watch as bottom-lines no longer mattered when lives were on the line. And most importantly, our conviction in how “invincible” we are as a race, was thrown out of the window …. In the matter of a few long weeks.

While we are not here to bash at the species we all belong to, none of us can deny calling these spades… well, spades. That said, the resilience of human kind also came through last year, as most of us turned to finally cleaning out otherwise ignored corners of our houses; attempting to get back in shape and of course, creating one too many #dalgona coffees. More bathroom-singers (and dancers) than ever before, decided to leave their bathrooms behind and a mask-glove combination became the new “key to my lock”.

We saw kindness from strangers and the real faces of those, once most revered. The year gave us a chance to hit pause and reset like never before, all while sharing the common fear for a virus which by itself, isn’t even alive!

A lot of us were also brought to a binding halt in activities we considered a part of our identities. Frontline workers finally began getting the recognition they had always deserved and we were all made to revisit what we considered “essential”.

Then of course, has come 2021 where all over the world, people seem to be chasing what they deem a “new normal” – and yet so many of us are hoping this “new” is as close to the “old” as it gets. While all of us wait and watch to see how things pan out, if nothing else, let this blog be a reminder to you that:

Though the pandemic is not over yet, we’ve come far as a global community, to stand together and that is worth loving and celebrating.
How productive you are while staying at home, isn’t what is making you a hero. The fact that you are staying home, is.
As Murphy’s Law says, in life, more often than not, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Might as well get used to it and make the most of what we can.

This is why, we hope you remember to find little things to keep you anchored: Your morning coffee. The chirping of birds outside. The chance to walk in large empty spaces in nature like gardens or isolated hill tops. Art – of any kind… because sure, there are a LOT of things to bring us down – 2021 or not, but it’s up to each of us to decide: Do I still have a second to stop and smell the roses?

We certainly hope you do.

Love,

Team Claylab.