I'm writing you this letter in an attempt to warn you about what's going to happen to you in 2020 and maybe prepare you to what's coming.
It's going to be a difficult year as never before. You've been through hardships before as growing up in a communist country was not exactly Disneyland and this year is going to bring back some unpleasant memories and also make you revert back to saving and surviving mode for awhile.
The year is going to begin with a lot of stress as your dad is going to have a surgery. No worries, everything is going to be fine but you'll learn that he's going to need two more surgeries. The first will be scheduled to mid March, which obviously won't be pleasant as that's the beginning of the gardening season and gardening is your dad's favourite activity at this age.
In the meantime real life will go crazy, a pandemic is going to threaten the whole world and just when you should go prepare the garden and start planting seeds, a lockdown will be introduced, so both you and your dad will be stuck in the city and every gardening activity put on hold.
One week before the surgery, a nationwide lockdown will be introduced, hospitals will only accept emergency cases and your dad's surgery will be put on hold.
If this will not be enough, you'll get another task from the almighty. Your brother and sister in law will be quarantined and you'll have your nice in your care for two weeks, along with your sick dad and you'll be the only one allowed to go out to buy groceries and run errands. Taking care of the whole family will be your responsibility and you'll have to be careful not to get sick as others will be relying on you.
After that life will seem to get a little bit better as after two months the lockdown is going to end and you'll be allowed to travel. You'll be able to go to the garden and learn how good your neighbors really are as the garden will be set up by the time you'll get there. They will plant the most important seeds in your garden and take care of the seedlings too. In those tough times you'll learn who's your real friend. The saying a friend in need is a friend indeed will show its true meaning.
This is what you're going to see in the garden. Onion and garlic will be already growing nicely and the rest of the garden will be weed free.
Things are going to go well for awhile, then your dad is going to go into a hemorrhagic shock that will land him in hospital. Be prepared, it's going to be a stressful day as you won't be allowed into the hospital and you'll have to wait till 9 pm to find out that he's fine and going to make a full recovery. As hospitals are going to be in lockdown the whole year, visitations will be out of question and you'll have to go to the entrance of the hospital to bring him things he will need, exposing yourself to danger every time.
The rest of the year will not be the usual either as this invisible enemy will not be defeated anytime soon.
You'll be able to do some gardening and make jams, sauces, pickles as usual and maybe even more as these times will remind you again that nothing can be taken for granted, not that it's going to be necessary. You'll be thinking of how to maximize the harvest and prepare for another though year. You already know that having a cellar and a storage room full of goodies during the winter can make your life much more easier. That's how you survived those hard times.
You won't be able to go abroad this time, but you'll be happy to visit the most important relatives and spend some quality time with them. Domestic tourism will be the new trend next year, and you're going to make the most of it.
You'll be able to visit places you've never been before and taste dishes that will be printed in your memory for a long time, making you want to go back.
There will be another surprise waiting for you this year, this time a good one. You'll be learning a new skill that is going to make you happy and give you certain benefits. You'll be learning sewing on your own, with the help of video tutorials. You'll be creating bags out of recycled fabrics and denim and you'll be setting up your first online shop. Sales are not going to be great as people are going to struggle to make ends meet but no worries, picking up a skill like that will benefit you long term no doubt.
I guess by now I have managed to scare you properly with my letter but no worries, you're tough enough to make it and you'll see the good things in the end. You were not born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you know how to survive and make the most of every situation. This year will make you ever tougher.
Just don't forget, appreciate what you have and don't take everything for granted and you'll be fine. This letter is only for 2020, a survival manual if you like. 2021 is not going to be a usual year either as the vaccination is only starting but I'll let you know what and how in exactly one year. Till then, you just do the best you can and you'll be fine.
Remember, each event is an experience, good or bad, the most important hing is how you handle it and what you learn from it.
Oh, another thing, complaining will not going to do any good to anyone. Look for solutions, not for excuses.
This is my entry to 