When I said goodbye to 2021 and ushered in 2022, I was full of gratitude for what life had taught me & what it had offered me in the form of my support system & my tribe. Till now, 2022 has been one of the most remarkable years that I have ever witnessed and I hope that the journey would only get better with each passing day.
The year started with me turning 40. Till a day before, I was out & about. However, the morning of my birthday, in the wake of surging third wave, I chose to celebrate at home to the dismay of friends & dear ones. Despite my decision, my tribe ensured that it turned out to be a day filled with lots of love, warmth & cherished moments. Gifts, flowers, cakes and greetings poured in through out the day.
A week later, another moment arrived. I got promoted as a Vice President. While many of us aspire to hold that title, but for me it was special for a very different reason. After my run in with cancer in April 2020, I took a long medical break and it was only around August 2020 that I joined back work. I thought the worst was over but I was so wrong. I struggled to be my earlier high performing self in more ways than one and this realization hit me really hard. The thought that came to my mind was - "Sonal! This is the beginning to the end of a fulfilling career!"
This, I think was the lowest phase that I had ever experienced professionally. I mustered courage, asked for help and that is all I had to do. I got all the support that I could have asked for. During one of our conversations around March 2021, my supervisor told me - "Sonal! With time, you don't just have to get back to the level you were at but you have to get better than who you were before. I thought - he's got to be kidding me".
But later in the day and for many coming days, I kept thinking about what he had said to me. I then pledged to myself that if he had so much belief in me then let me really make an effort to prove him right. And I did. For the next several months, I rallied with determination, battled nervous moments - mostly medically, but I ensured that not just I continued to pay hawk eye attention to my health regime but also my professional goal.
While I have been promoted several times in the past, but the journey outlined above made this one as the most special & cherished one. For me, it felt life altering.
I was still coming to terms with my promotion when the next moment arrived. During the weekend immediately after my promotion announcement, my mother & sister in law fell ill. After 2 years of rigorous precautions, they finally fell prey to the highly transmissible Omicron. While taking care of them, eventually my brother & I both got infected too and tested positive. This variant got to us, practically within our own home owing to asymptomatic maid. While everyone stated that Omicron was mild but it did break all of us in some way or the other. My immunocompromised state added to the symptoms. I will never forget those days of battling Covid - 19 out together as a family. By the way, I still haven't managed to get back to the pre Covid - 19 strength quotient but I will get there slowly.
As I moved out of this phase, my next moment was waiting for me. This one is the most cherished one of 2022. In April 2022, I completed my 2 years of being cancer free. This is one of the major milestones in cancer treatment. I was due for my scheduled tests and I must say that by the grace of God, all my tests got done in the most smooth manner in comparison to the last 3 set of tests that I took across past 18 months. While I read through the reports and I could make out that all seemed well, I finally met my Oncologist over this weekend to hear the final verdict from him.
He said - "Sonal! All your reports are good and since this is the 2 years mark, we will now move out your checkups from every 3 months to 6 months". The wave of relief that splashed over me is inexplicable. I danced a thousand dances while I drove back from the consultation and treated myself to some delicious pan Asian food.
As I turned Two, this weekend I looked back to my journey of 2 years & it has been a humbling experience. I have lost a lot yet gained a lot. I have lived in fear, yet fought it with all my courage and strength. There were days I wanted to take it easy with a cheat day (food & fitness). Some days I did cheat but the other days, I pulled myself up to persevere. I said "No" to a lot of distractions. I had to put in more than 5 to 6 times of my usual effort to get better than who I was. I had to get away from situations that were toxic for me and from people who could not understand my struggle or my need to live life my way - because we only have limited time & we should make the most of it. This phase has taught me renewed respect & value for health, people, food & finances.
This is my time travel from Forty to Two...
I am sure that there are many more milestones and moments that are waiting around various corners of this journey that I am traversing. I believe that I am geared up - not only to face challenges that may be lurking around but also to celebrate life as it passes by. Cheers to many more such time travels!!
My message to you all : "Stay safe, stay healthy and most importantly - live your life."
