Dear 2025,
With you, my 5-year plan of just breathing in and out ends,
Or You take that bare survival plan with you, please;
When I turned back and check,
2020 doesn't look that far at all;
I was forced to live through loss after loss;
My friends pass on a snide comment:
“You have nothing to lose anymore!”
Here I press that rewind button:
2020 - WOW! What a year to the world!
The entire planet's sense and sensibility was challenged:
Personally, I was hoping for just 10-day lock down,
Which turned out to be a 10-month lock down;
My four pets passed away,
Which forged a dreadful fear of losing my parents;
Vacated the city and reached hometown,
Trusting everything will be going back to normal
By the last day of the year.
2021- Egregious demises unleashed!
The year began with my father's heart attack;
Though he survived it with 3 stents fixed,
3 months later, he passed away in the second wave;
My mom was a beacon of hope and light;
She fought 5 decades of battles no one could imagine,
But, she lost to the virus in the second wave;
Just on the fourth day of my father's demise.
To my surprise, I was born with bronchitis and rhinitis;
Still can't fathom, how I live through it all
Without even a hospitalisation!
I officially became 39-year-old orphan,
With no tangible asset to possess,
With no emotional or moral support to assess,
With only one pet to cry with;
So, left the hometown with bare necessities;
To the same metro city I have been working.
2022 - What just happened?
Days and nights passed by
Month on month passed by too...
Still not sure what just happened;
How I am still breathing!
However, friends sponsored a trip to Ganges;
Indeed, I had a cold dip for a while there...
Sadly, returned to my home leaving
Beautiful Ganges and lovely friends too...
Rest of the year, I cut off many people
And shut myself to my home,
The only saving grace was my cat
Who survived out of 7 of them…
Somehow, we were rescuing each other.
2023 - Clumsy routine of corporate!
A year just passed without me noticing;
Not knowing how to move forward,
Focus shifted to the only survival option: Work!
Return to Office (RTO) has been established;
Choosing between WFH and Hybrid mode
Was a huge challenge —
After 2020, team members are not just pan India but pan world —
Visiting office for few hours to meet RTO,
Working at home to meet all geographical time zones,
Is the new norms with no standard working hours;
Still I haven’t figured out whether I WFH or WFO!
When life threw us out of congruence,
Astonishingly, mundane madness becomes a saviour;
I started bonding with new colleagues at office,
Which made me look forward to meeting them…
On that note, the year ended!
2024 - Year of Butterflies and High of Love!
One of the office colleagues turned into a favourite friend;
As he gave his shoulder to cry on,
My empty self took an advantage of it:
Without even processing my grief,
I fell for him head over heals:
My to-do list for the year was to make food for him,
And spend most of my time with him;
Mostly, the year was all about him...
One year is a long time for butterflies to flutter;
By the end of the year, he left me without a clue.
2025 - Dealing with abandonment and uncertainties
Panic attacks and wheezing for months continued...
Therapy sessions to regulate emotions
That never calm down more than a day;
When everything was out of control,
Job was the only thing never threatened me so far;
June 2025 - Boom! One secure thing that lasted for 2 decades
Is now agitated by the booming AI,
And brutal lay offs of thousands and thousands started;
Legit, I was quite convinced myself—
Without chasing for more, I will retire in the same company;
Now, everyday seems lucky because I still have the job!
Also, nothing went back to normal after 2020;
But in spite of all, I did achieve my 5-year plan!
I am still breathing in and out—
This year does bring back the focus on me and only me.
Thank you and adios, 2025.
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