The Good, the
Bad, and the Ugly – 2020
By Venkat
Srinivasan
I thought this post’s title was an original, and then
I saw a news channel (or two) had copied it from me already. Nevertheless, here
goes?
Yes, a year to forget, to cancel, to cut a year off
from our ages. Yes, all that. But we had some good stuff, so I’ll start with
that.
The Good
Nature – connecting
with the skies, the green, and the clean air was great. Actually, could watch
peacocks, exotic birds out my window like many other neighbors. Never thought
I’d be delighted to see cobras nestling in the park. Oh, and the sparrows
(recently rarely seen), and hornbills. And fewer pigeons.
Escaping COVID-19 – Despite
two bouts of actual full exposure and many flights, we (I speak for family and
I) didn’t catch the virus. Whew!
Reaching out – Talking
and connecting with friends and family again. Things one has rarely done in
years past. The random phone calls and chats online kept spirits up. We shared
memories and recipes (with pictures).
Technology – Video and
voice conferencing was/is a life-saver, be it for work-from-home,
anniversaries, birthdays, quizzing, anything. Imagine this even twenty years
ago?
No more Trump – Joe Biden,
may you do a better job along with Kamala.
Netflix and Prime Video –
Shows that kept us laughing, and distracted.
And this – See right
here please.
The Bad
The people we lost – Besides
friends and family, there were several popular celebrities (easily named) that
we liked and looked up to. All now gone.
Substance abuse – This got
many into a downward spiral. Too many bad examples to share – friends and
neighbors.
Domestic issues – This was
hell for some neighbors. Some threatening to jump off roofs and balconies,
major spats at some homes, tension, and violence heard all over. I can’t recall
the number of times I was called as part of an ‘emergency group’ to help. God
knows I can’t catch a 170 lb woman from the 7th floor. I’d be the
one to go.
The US presidential election –
This was as nasty as it could get. A sitting president that lost, and then
refused to concede. This, at the world’s supposedly ‘land of the free’, that
oldest democracy? Come on.
The Ugly
Need I say anything, or more here? The year’s scourge.
The plague we’re still enduring.
It gets even ‘better’ in other ways, per this article.
This decade has officially ended. May we all have a
great 2021. Bless everyone. May everything improve.
© Venkat Srinivasan | December 2020
My latest article https://ven-srin.medium.com/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-2020-59d372cae0d1
