2020
We celebrated! It was the end of a decade, and we looked forward with excitement. After weeks of going through “best of the 2010s” lists, we were all ready to see what the next decade would hold. And so far, it has held things that we never expected and will never fully understand. It feels impossible to sum up the last year of my life or to come away with any sort of real conclusion.
What I know is that 2020 was the year that fell deeply in love with writing again. It was the year that I sought to understand myself and the world around me through art and found myself connecting with more people than I ever had before. I found my rhythm again in these newsletters and developed a zeal for the craft and the written word like I’d never had before. I read books that changed me and I wrote pieces that I never thought I could.
And 2020 taught me through yearning. A longing colored my memories, making them more vibrant and beautiful than ever before; my daydreams grew more vivid, bursting with color and emotion. The distance made what was closer clearer, and I found beauty in the mundane. What a miracle it was to be at home, with family, with food, with a desk, with a computer, with a candle, with these clothes. What a miracle it was to be!
In these things, I learned to love more — love myself, love those around me, and love as much as I could. Newfound solitude created love for myself and for others, gratitude for every moment I could spend with another. It reminded me that there’s room for love in every action and every small sacrifice. Every day and every moment.
And 2020 showed me so much more, some of which would be better forgotten. But this year was 2020 — the year I’ll always remember.
Drops of the Week
PLAYLIST - december 20 - songs I discovered and listened to this month! They're all over the place as usual, with an above average amount of Sufjan Stevens.
ARTICLE - "What If You Could Do It All Over" by Joshua Rothman - great piece about the lives we didn't live.
FILM - Soul - new favorite Pixar movie! There's a scene in this film that might be one of the most beautiful pieces of art I've seen this year.
The new president may not be a white supremacist, but there's still work to be done. With each day, we move closer to a more equitable world. Reminders:
Ways you can help Mutual Aid Networks
Anti-racism resources
Thanks so much for reading! If you're not already subscribed, I'd love for you to subscribe here. You can also check out my older newsletters here.
Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts— you can reply to this email if you loved or hated the letter, or you want to tell me about how your day has been. I'm all ears (like literally, every part of my body consists of ears).
Happy New Year,
Nikhil