2020 has been a whirlwind. January consisted of me dreaming about my study abroad program in June, where I was going to study in Venice for a month. I was teeming with excitement at the new opportunity. I had also just applied for a internship for the rest of the summer at a publishing house.
Then February hit and everything slowly started to shift. Worries were spreading across campus that those studying abroad were coming home but we still believed we might finish out the semester at school.
Everything changed after Spring Break. We came back from break just to be told on Wednesday that we had five days to pack up and leave campus grounds. March was essentially a blur of movement and acclimating to classes virtually. April and May also passed similarly. It was a bit straining on the mental health since I was cooped up in the house. I would wake up and two feet from my bed to my desk, where I attended all of my classes.
My grandma lives with my parents and me so she has no qualms of just barging into my room. Before every class, I would let her know that I needed to be unbothered and to not enter my room. Her 84 year-old brain forgets almost everything I tell her so she would still walk into my room, asking me for help with something on her phone. I ended up having to just lock my door while I was on Zoom.
Peak boredom hit after the semester ended. I hit my limit of Netflix and Hallmark movies. Towards the end of May, beginning of June I decided to start my own blog. I wanted to get my voice out there. Obviously, the thought of making some side cash from it also helped my decision. I want to be a writer at the end of the day; writing for my own blog has helped me in my confidence when writing. There is more comfort in sharing my opinions.
Creating my blog, Kat’s Corner, gave me a place to write to my heart’s contentment. My passion for writing has been reignited. I didn’t realize how writing has become, not necessarily easier, but definitely there is less second-guessing myself. I realized during this past semester in school when I had to write countless short stories and papers for my classes. Five – seven page papers usually took my almost a week. I can now write most of it in one sitting.
2020, quite frankly, changed my life or what I wanted my life to look like. The vision of my future has shifted, now making writing a priority. I have always wanted to write as a career, but I put it on the back burner. I didn’t believe in myself. Through this blog, I have gained the confidence and ability to write. I can finally see the future of me as a writer.
I know 2020 was a year of trials, but maybe it also a year of breaking free. Breaking free of mindless cycles that we have been stuck in from past years. Farewell 2020 and I can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store.