2020 Was My Year, Kind Of! Not Today Blog 26
I was sure that 2020 was going to be my year. And it kind of was. But I didn’t do shit?
What I Had Planned
1st January 2020 10am, Gili Trawangan. I am turning around for the 659th time. I woke up 2 hours after going to bed and have not slept one single minute since. The 5 or 6 vodka joss shots from last night (more likely 8 or 9) keep me awake.
I decide to stop making turning in bed sounds to let my mate sleep on the other side of the room and move myself to the patio. Sat on an uncomfortable chair I start watching Chris Hadfield’s “An Astronaut’s Guide to Optimism 2020”. Immediately, I am filled with positive emotions.
At that time of the year, my outline for 2020 was clear. Celebrate my birthday in Bali, visit family and friends in Germany, maybe run a marathon and my highlight, attend my first Vipassana Meditation Course.
How wrong I was.
The Vipassana Course
Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills.
The technique is taught at ten-day residential courses during which participants follow a prescribed code of discipline (no talking or eye contact, no using of electronic gadgets, among others), learn the basics of the method, and practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial results.
For two years I have thought about visiting a Vipassana course. I was certain that this year was going to be the year. In February 2020 I applied for a course in one of the many dhamma centres in India. I first wanted to do it in Myanmar, because S.N. Goenka, who has driven these 10-day-courses over the years, is of Myanmar-Indian heritage. But I found out that there were no capacities left in Myanmar for June 2020, so I chose a meditation centre in India. I was excited to be spending my first course in a country that has this special connection with the practice.
Unfortunately, one day later I received an email rejecting my application due to their limited capacities.
Dear Danny Schleicher, We are sorry to inform you that we are unable to accomodate you on the course starting from 22nd May 2020 to 2nd June 2020. We get inundated with applications for every course but due to the Centre's limited capacity, we can confirm only a small percentage of the applications received. We endeavor to confirm students from all walks of life but are constrained to admit only a few students per course. Our foremost concern is you should not miss a chance of attending the course at this time. So, we would suggest that you apply to another centre with availability. You can search for a course in your region here - https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/courses/search You can view the list of centres here - https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/locations/directory
I was disappointed. I couldn’t find another suitable centre that was available for the same time period and so decided to postpone my Vipassana trip for the time being.
Who would have thought that so early in the year I was unconsciously getting the first signs of what was to come?
Basement Day
The First of May is known as Labour Day or May Day and is a public holiday in Germany, Austria, Belgium, and many other countries.
Trade unions use the day to organise demonstrations to draw attention to their concerns. Most people, however, use the day off to get together with their family and friends and go on a May Day hike. All over Germany, you meet hikers with little wagons loaded with food and drink.
My friends and I have been celebrating the first of May since we were 14 and 15 (yeah, maybe a bit too young) years old. While we used the first years to wander tipsy and later drunkenly through the villages, one rainy year we switched to the basement day.
Basement day for my friend group is spending Labour Day with the same 7 or 8 people in the basement of my friend’s house. Every year we kick it off with breakfast and the first Radler at 11 am (Radler is the German term for a mixture of beer and lemonade). From there we shimmy through the day. From beers to schnapps to barbecues and pizza, while our longest hike that day only reaches the next meadow, the next cigarette machine or supermarket. Nevertheless, we would always have a little wagon with us filled with plenty of drinks.
No question that I wouldn’t want to miss that day. In fact, every year around that time I leave everything and board a flight to Germany.
2020 was different. My flights got cancelled. Throughout the year all further attempts to fly to Germany to see family and friends failed.
Dear MR Schleicher, we are very sorry, your flight was cancelled. We realise that this has a big impact on your travel plans and we're doing what we can to help you as quickly as possible. Due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the local authorities of your destination have initiated entry restrictions. At this moment, we are unable to rebook you, because it's still unclear when these restrictions will be lifted. However, you will be able to rebook your flight until 30 September 2020 or you can request a refund in form of a travel voucher. Either way, you can rest assured you can travel at a later date. Are you abroad and do you need help going home? We strongly advise to contact your local embassy, as they will be able to assist you.
Ronda
Trust the timing of your life.
Being stuck in Jakarta wasn’t too bad. As more and more countries closed borders, my good colleague Marc was forced to fly to Jakarta to stay with me for a few weeks.
During Ramadan, I joined my first Ronda gatherings and got to meet the neighbours in my residential complex properly. We became great friends and carried each other through the ongoing pandemic.
Read my blog post about Rondas and the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting period in Indonesia.
Helping Others Out
The impacts of Covid-19 are severe here in Indonesia. I was all the happier to be able to help a few people in need. Many stepped up to raise money to deliver care packages all over Indonesia. When it comes down to it, we humans are there for each other. That’s for sure.
Thank You Thank you for supporting families in poverty who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. It is such a difficult time for everyone right now and we can't thank you enough for thinking of those wors off during the pandemic. We look forward to leeting you know exactly where your donation has been sent with a thank you photo in the next few weeks. Your generous donation to Bali Children's Project is processed by Network for Good.
Meeting Strangers
Even if I did not travel as much as in the years before, I was still able to get to know strangers. If it was through ordering groceries online, commenting on YouTube videos, posting TikTok videos, there are ways to connect with the world.
I took part in an international book exchange and met Claire. She can only be an awesome human being, who else would take part in a book exchange with strangers? Sending books to random strangers was the thrill I never knew I needed.
Why Not Today
Yes, 2020 was tough. Yes, 2021 will be tough. We all know it.
There would not be life on this planet if it wasn’t for the sun. There is sunlight somewhere for all of us. We mustn’t stop looking. We, humans, are CEOs of adaptation!
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
Carl Bard
Why not today make plans for the year. There are so many things you can do on your own, in your own house. And yes they can be fun and fulfilling. Why not plan to give one room in your place a makeover? Rearrange the furniture, paint the walls, get that photo of the trip of your life printed in large. Hang it to the wall. Or do something completely different. Do an Online Vipassana Course?
You are awesome.
D
