Reflections on 2020

Ah, 2020. What a year! It has been a year epitomised by the quote, “We are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat.” For many there has been anxiety, loneliness and hardship, and my heart breaks for each and every person who has lost a loved one and is suffering that unbearable pain of grief.

Whatever boat you were in this past year, there will certainly have been a myriad of emotions. Self-care and self-love have been more important than ever. We’ve learnt that it’s okay not to be okay, and that a rest is not a failure.

If the mountain seems too big today,
then climb a hill instead.
If the morning brings you sadness,
it’s okay to stay in bed.

If the day ahead weighs heavy
and your plans feel like a curse,
there’s no shame in re-arranging;
don’t make yourself feel worse.

If a shower stings like needles
and a bath feels like you’ll drown,
if you haven’t washed your hair for days,
don’t throw away your crown!

A day is not a lifetime,
a rest is not defeat.
Don’t think of it as failure,
just a quiet, kind retreat.

It’s okay to take a moment
from an anxious, fractured mind.
The world will not stop turning,
while you get realigned.

The mountain will still be there
when you want to try again.
So climb it in your own time,
and love yourself ’til then.

Laura Ding-Edwards

When considering only my personal experiences of the year, I consider 2020 to have been a year of many blessings. COVID-19 forced us all to slow down and take stock. Taking a step back from the rat race that had become my life over the last 2 years allowed me to completely re-think the direction I am steering my life and businesses in. Whilst I certainly didn’t choose the events that struck the world this year, I did have the ability to choose how I reacted. I saw 2020 as a year of new opportunities and I wanted to grab them with both hands and use the time to my advantage.

Gratitude

There has been so much to be grateful for this year. I have such a deep sense of gratitude for my privileged ‘boat’ – for my own health and that of my family, for having my loved ones by my side through thick and thin, for having food on our tables and a warm and comfortable home with all the mod-cons we take for granted nowadays, and for access to healthcare, provided by brave and selfless individuals.

Online Yoga Classes

Like most yoga teachers across the country, I’ve taken to Zoom! My Dru Yoga for Healthy Backs classes have been running online for about 6 months now and not only have they been effective, but I think we have discovered some advantages too. Geographical limitations are a thing of the past and gone is the inertia of turning out on a cold night. No more excuses! It’s been an honour to hold space for such a lovely group of people and welcome them ‘into my home’. Fostering this sense of community has seemed more important than ever in these times of social isolation.

Fiona Dawn Designs

I was very excited to launch Fiona Dawn Designs this year – my very own range of yoga-inspired clothing and accessories. Every item is unique, designed by me and exclusively available from my stores. I’m proud to say that the clothing is 100% sweatshop-free, eco-friendly and suitable for vegans. Being able to make those claims didn’t come easily and there was a lot of research and frustration involved in the sourcing, but those values were important to me and through dogged perseverance I got there in the end!

I certainly improved my graphic design skills along the way and discovered the wonders of Gimp as I endeavoured to get the designs that were in my head onto the screen, ready to be printed onto my clothing and accessories. I’ve been designing websites since I created my first ecommerce store in 2005, but I’m continually learning new tricks and this project has taught me a lot. Every day’s a school day, as they say, and that has certainly been true in 2020.

Online Treatment for Children with Dyspraxia

In another life, I have my own private physiotherapy practice assessing and treating children with dyspraxia and other co-ordination difficulties. Since March 2020, I have been offering treatment sessions online. It’s been working really well and the sessions are proving to be as effective as ever. Again, there are advantages too. I used to treat children in their own homes or schools, but I no longer have to turn away children who live too far away and the expense and time involved in travel is a thing of the past. I’ve also spent time completely re-designing my website which had previously been a rushed effort that I was ashamed to send people to.

Little Joys

A few years ago now, my uncle said that we could all do with more joy in our lives and it was one of those phrases that just ‘stuck’ with our family and is often repeated. Joy has become a word that reminds me of my uncle, who sadly passed away in 2016, and 2020 has certainly been a year for appreciating the little joys.

We have enjoyed spending more time in the garden, often eating our breakfast outside and playing Bananagrams outdoors too, keen to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the silence and enhanced bird song that the reduced volume of traffic has afforded us. We have done our Dru yoga activations in the garden on all but the coldest and rainiest of days and, as we do every year, we have grown our own veggies.

Indoors, a codeword puzzle became part on our daily routine, as did playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on my Nintendo Switch. Board games have always featured strongly in our lives and our most-played games of 2020 were Dead of Winter and This War of Mine. We have also enjoyed a few jigsaw puzzles, our favourites always being the Wasgij ones.

During those times when lockdown restrictions were eased, we were so grateful to have our camper van. Whilst we felt safer staying in the UK this year, we were still able to discover some lovely new places and a couple of wild camping spots that were so special that we will certainly return to them. I have just (literally just) started a blog at Little Bird on Wheels to share what we have learned from 11½ years of camper van ownership.

Camaraderie

I know there have been the rebels and the ‘fakedemic’ conspiracy theories but, for the most part, the country has pulled together – and that feels good, doesn’t it? We’ve embraced new rules, we’ve got to know our neighbours better and we’ve generally looked for ways to help others. There’s been a sense of camaraderie and it would be a shame if that is lost when ‘normality’ returns.

I expected that I would have more time to read this year – perhaps even time to clear some clutter and work on home improvements as so many have done. I guess I have just used my time differently but I seem to have been as busy as ever. There certainly hasn’t been time to get bored and I’ve had to make a conscious effort to fit reading into my schedule. I’ve read some real gems this year though that I’d love to share with you.

Healing is Voltage by Jerry Tennant struck me as such an important book and one which I feel every healthcare professional should read, indeed every human being should read.

It beautifully describes the link between the acupuncture meridians, our fascia, the voltage in our cells, and chronic disease. Sure, the book really needed a good editor and the quality of the images is poor, but the content makes it worth looking past those factors.

“Every cell in the body is designed to run at -20 to -25 millivolts. To heal, we must make new cells. To make a new cell requires -50 millivolts. Chronic disease occurs when voltage drops below -20 and/or you cannot achieve -50 millivolts to make new cells. Thus chronic disease is always defined by having low voltage. This book tells you how to measure your voltage in each organ, how to correct it, and how to determine why your voltage dropped enough to allow you to get sick.”

In February 2020, I was honoured to attend a 5-day Yin Yoga teacher training course with Norman Blair. That week was pure bliss and so therapeutic for me. By the end of the week, I felt calm – and perhaps knew for the first time what it meant to be truly calm. I felt mentally strong, ready to go boldly forth into the world once more, with a sense that anything was possible. And then, shortly afterwards, COVID-19 struck the UK with avengeance. Still, I was to remain grateful for that wonderful time spent training with Norman Blair. Norman has offered regular online classes, free of charge, to his past students throughout the pandemic and is continuing to do so now. Those classes have been a real retreat – a breath of fresh air. Between classes, Norman’s book, Brightening Our Inner Skies: Yin and Yoga, has been a real inspiration.

My mum’s acupuncturist, Danapriya, published a book this year and we couldn’t wait for it to hit the door mat! He is such a lovely soul and simply being in his presence feels calming and healing. We just knew his book would be a joy to read, and we weren’t wrong! It’s Not Out There is an easy read that’s just like a chat with Danapriya himself, hearing stories of his journey through life. It’s far more than that too though. It’s packed full of wisdom and positive vibes.

“Most of us constantly look outside ourselves for something: happiness, love, contentment. But this something is not out there. It is within us. We are full of these qualities: happiness, love, contentment and more. In It’s Not Out There, Buddhist teacher and mentor, Danapriya, helps you to look inside yourself in such a way that life becomes more vivid, joyful and extraordinary. If you want to suffer less and to live life more fully, this book is for you. It’s about seeing the reality of the human predicament, and seeing through the illusions that create unnecessary pain for yourself and others. This book uncovers the fertile ground of your own potential, and enables you to live the life you are here for. Stop, look, listen and sense, you are worth it.”

I have loved Pride and Prejudice since that infamous BBC version aired in 1995. Being by far the best adaptation in my opinion, largely since its length allowed it fewer omissions but also because its spirit is faithful to the original and Colin Firth simply is Mr Darcy, I have watched it more times than I care to count.

I’m ashamed to admit that it wasn’t until this year that I actually read the book itself (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) along with Longbourn by Jo Baker, which tells the story from the servants’ perspectives and is an absolute delight.

I can also thoroughly recommend Xandra Robinson-Burns’ Letters from Jane Austen to guide you through reading Pride and Prejudce. Through weekly digital letters, each one corresponding to a few chapters of the novel, Xandra provides a modern-day commentary and shares Jane Austen’s wisdom in a relatable way with journal prompts to aid your reflection.

The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside is written by a friend of a friend – Jessica Ryn – a former homeless resettlement worker who fought to save a hostel for the homeless and has written a book inspired by the people she met. Although it addresses serious issues, it’s an uplifting, feel-good novel – exactly what we all need right now – chock-full of kindness and hope.

“Dawn Elisabeth Brightside has been running from her past for twenty-two years and two months, precisely. So when she is offered a bed in St Jude’s Hostel for the Homeless, it means so much more than just a roof over her head. But with St Jude’s threatened with closure, Dawn worries that everything is about to crumble around her all over again. Perhaps, with a little help from her new friends, she can find a way to save this light in the darkness? And maybe, just maybe, Dawn will finally have a place to call home…”

If you are familiar with the Law of Attraction then there isn’t really anything new in You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero, but sometimes we just need to hear something said in a different way, or just simply hear it again, and again. Whether you’re a Law of Attraction newbie or an old hand at all things spiritual, this book is a joy to listen to. (I listened to the audiobook version of the book and would thoroughly recommend it. It is narrated by the author and her narration really makes the book.)

“You Are a Badass at Making Money is the book you need if you’ve spent too much time watching money land in your bank account and then roll through your fingers. Jen Sincero went from living in a converted garage to traveling the world in five-star luxury in a matter of years and knows all too well the layers of BS one can get wrapped up in around money, as well as what it takes to dig your way out. In this funny, fascinating and practical book, she goes in-depth on how powerful our thoughts are and how our bank accounts are mirrors of our beliefs about money. You Are a Badass at Making Money combines laugh-out-loud comedy with life-changing concepts, all boiled down into manageable, bite-size tips so that you can put them into practice and get life-changing results.”

Whilst many are pleased to leave 2020 behind and move on, I don’t want to forget this past year. Of course no one would choose to live through a world war, or indeed a pandemic, but these major events that form part of our history teach many lessons and help to shape a generation. I want to remember how I have felt, the lessons I have learned and the unique experiences of 2020.

I am pieces of all the places I have been, and the people I have loved. I’ve been stitched together by song lyrics, book quotes, adventure, late night conversations, moonlight, and the smell of coffee.

BROOKE HAMPTON