Just when we thought 2020 was bad enough, the year 2021 has its own fair share of challenges and heartbreaks.
Like everybody else, I welcomed the year 2021 with high hopes. While our
lives were seemingly stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we were
beginning to learn how to navigate the new normal in 2021. Little did I
realize that the year 2021 would prove to be an even more challenging year.
Well, it was for me, at least.
The Year 2021 In Retrospect
Seeing the good in things
I do try my best to see the good when things are not going my way and it helps
a lot in lessening the burden. It’s not easy, of course. After all, we all
want our days to be sunny and bright. However, sadness is a part of life and
we should learn how to live with it.
Anyway, let me just share with you the highlights of my year 2021. I don’t
have any heart-wrenching story to tell but one important lesson I’ve learned
over the years is to never invalidate our feelings. We should celebrate the
little things that make us happy and allow ourselves to acknowledge the small
things that make us feel bad.
Personal Life
First off, I just want to express how grateful I am because my loved ones are
all safe and healthy in 2021. However, during the second quarter of 2021, I
tested positive for COVID-19. It came as a shock to me because of all the
health and safety precautions I take when I’m outside, which is mainly for
work.
I couldn’t figure out how I got it but it was maybe during lunchtime when I
had to remove my facemask to eat on my desk. Thankfully, I only had mild
symptoms and nobody in my family was infected. I still could feel the effects
of COVID-19 though because I still lose my breath easily.
Late last year, I was glad to finally have the chance to go home to San
Antonio (Nueva Ecija), my hometown, after not being able to visit for almost
two years. Our two kids were very happy with the change in environment,
enjoying their days with their grandparents and spending their time outside
playing with dirt and stones. They were having a blast just being curious
toddlers.
In 2021, I lost an aunt and an uncle. My aunt was my father’s eldest sister.
She was undergoing dialysis but during the last month of her life, she
couldn’t get a schedule because of too many COVID-19 cases in their city. As
such, she died because of complications of her diseases.
An uncle, the husband of my aunt, also died in 2021 because of complications
brought by COVID-19. He was hospitalized but his condition deteriorated until
finally succumbing to the disease.
There were also personal realizations last year as well as things I wish I
hadn’t experienced but, in the end, I think they were necessary. After all,
life is about discovery, learning, and change.
Professional Life
Early in 2021, I was happy to be reporting back to the office. Despite the
pandemic, I still had a job and that’s a lot to be thankful for. We were
initially doing a blended arrangement, which meant reporting to the office
three times a week and working from home the rest of the week.
I was also happy because I had a lot of projects in the pipeline. I saw it as
a chance to contribute more to the company and apply the things that I’ve
learned from my superiors. More importantly, it was an opportunity to handle
projects independently which I liked because it meant career growth and new
knowledge to be gained.
However, just when I thought things were going great at work, we had a
reorganization in the middle of the year. That meant that some of our projects
had to be stalled but that was fine because it was mostly business as usual
for our team.
That wasn’t the last movement though because I received even more shocking
news at work during the third quarter of 2021; I was being transferred to the
branch. I had my hesitations because of the proximity of the branch to my
house. Not only that, it was in a very crowded location so I deemed it too
risky in terms of health.
After careful consideration and looking at the spike in my transportation
expenses, I decided that the most practical thing to do was to render my
resignation. I’d just focus on my freelance jobs and brand collaborations
while I look for a full time job.
Blogging and Social Media
The year 2021 has been good to my blog. In 2020, my blog traffic plummeted at
a level I last saw when I was just starting out. I did a few tweaks, focusing
on optimizing my old posts and coming up with evergreen articles.
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| Photo by Micah Boerma from Pexels |
I reaped the benefits of good SEO practices and enhancing my old articles as I
saw my blog traffic increase month after month in 2021. It was a level far
beyond what I had imagined and it surpassed the monthly goal that I set at the
start of the year.
I also rebranded my blog and social media pages in 2020 to accommodate a wider
range of topics and it paid off. It opened a lot of brand collaborations for
my blog at the start of 2021 and continued on for the rest of the year.
I wasn’t expecting all of those brand partnerships and for that, I was nothing
but grateful. I was finally earning well from my blog and it was a good way to
supplement my income from my day job.
But beyond the money, I was happy because I was doing something that I love
and that is writing and photography. I was gaining new knowledge and skills in
content creation, things that I never thought I'd be able to do because of my
age.
In the middle of 2021, I joined a blogging competition (Write To Ignite Blogging Project) with the aim of
winning. I didn’t join for the experience of it, I entered the contest with
the top prize in mind. I wrote my piece, entitled An Unlikely Conversation, in a different style because I knew
everybody would be writing it the same way, which is what happened.
I veered away from writing in a tear-jerking manner because that’s what
everybody would do. In fact, I deliberately wrote it in a light-hearted tone
because, hey, everybody’s been through a lot in 2021. I figured they’d find it
refreshing to read something that’s not too heavy and emotional.
I had to admit though that the style of how I wrote my article was inspired by
the book “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky (it’s one of my
favorites) because of the parallelism of some of my experiences with that of
the novel’s protagonist.
In the end, I only made it to the top 40 but I didn't make the cut to the top
20. Nonetheless, I still thought it was a winning piece.
I loved writing essays and personal posts on my blog, mainly because I miss
the good old days of blogging when it was just all about the art of writing.
There was no SEO to think about, design and site speed to worry about, and
social media accounts to grow and maintain.
Back in the day, I’d just write a topic that would pop in my mind and I’d get
interaction on my blog without exerting effort. I can also change my blog URL
on a whim and still get found on search engines without doing anything
technical.
Speaking of social media, I received depressing news in the last few days of
2021. It was an email from Facebook telling me that I had a community
violation. I went through the appeals process but both of my Facebook and
Instagram profiles have been suspended while my case is being reviewed.
I can create new social media accounts but I get sad knowing that I’m losing
all the memories and photos contained in my accounts. Plus, I’m not sure if I
have the patience to grow them again to a level that would allow me to
collaborate with brands. It’s saddening because they are my only source of
income and projects right now.
Society and Events
We also witnessed the year 2021 claiming the lives of popular personalities in
showbiz, politics, and business. I know death is a part of life and there are
personalities who die each year. However, the sadness of losing well-known
people is heightened because of the already dreary atmosphere cast by the
pandemic.
Here are some of the famous Filipinos we lost in 2021: former president
Benigno Aquino III, Jose Abueva, Marvin “Ate Shawee” Martinez, Zanaida Quezon
Avancena, Director Bert De Leon, singer Claire dela Fuente, Tony Ferrer, Chito
Gascon, Raymund Isaac, Domingo Landicho, Ricky Lo, Mahal, Manuel Morato,
Orestes Ojeda, Lito Osmena, Royette Padilla, Shalala, Dinky Soliman, Brother
Eli Soriano, Jan Catherine Sy, Andrew Gotianun Jr., Ramon Sy, Bienvenido
Tantoco, and Victor Wood.
Epilogue
I’m thankful for all the opportunities and blessings that I received in 2021.
I’m still praying for the safety of my friends and loved ones in 2022. I want
2022 to be a good year but as one of my friends always says “a day at a
time.”
Let's take things slow, savor each moment with our loved ones, and be happy
for the little blessings that come our way.
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Thanks for sharing this Dadi Ivan. I'm glad that you had a lot of opportunities and had a chance to visit your hometown. Let's hope for a better year ahead of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story sir ivan!!ang buhay talaga may ups and down,pero keep going lang,gawin lang inspiration yung family mo at mga tao na nagmamahal sayo,sana this year magiging okay na ang lahat🤗🤍
ReplyDeleteThanks for this inspiring blog Daddy Iv.
ReplyDeletePraying for peace and covid free country.
Still we have to be stay positive whatever happens life must go on.
Thank you for sharing this inspiring story dadi iv buti po naka visit din kayo sainyo sarap pa naman makauwi ng province.Hoping talaga na maging ok na lahat yung wala na facemask.
ReplyDeleteLove this kind of story so inspiring po. Talagang I'm so happy that you have a chance to visit your province po. Life is hard but don't give up. Keep moving forward. Hoping na maging okay na ang lahat I really miss the normal world where there's no covid 🥰
ReplyDelete