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Hugs, office, fearless cough — Why our 2021 resolution card is more a wishlist

Happy 'new normal' year 2021? No, I want my old normal life back.

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I am tired of the term ‘new normal’. In 2021, I want the old normal back, if at all that is possible, vaccine-willing.

Here is how I wish to declare my emancipation in 2021.

Hugs

As the viral coronavirus outbreak barred humans from touching each other, even their own faces, most started feeling the absence of platonic touch in their everyday lives.

Hugs, handshakes, high-fives — all gestures of love and comfort — became an ‘infection hazard’ in 2020, forcing us to adopt alternatives like ‘namaste’ or ‘elbow shake’.

It’s been so long now that I don’t really remember the last time I felt a comforting hug or touch of a loved one. Hugs in 2021 will become one of those little things that we don’t appreciate or value much until we realise we don’t have them anymore. So, here’s hoping that 2021 will be all about hugs and more hugs.


Also read: Yashraj Mukhate to Butter Khatri — these 5 pandemic discoveries helped us survive 2020


Going to office

Yes, you read it right. I never thought I would miss being ‘in office’. But here I am, dying to jump out of my home and catch the next Metro train to office. I don’t just miss my office desk or chair, I also miss dressing up for work, the Metro ride, the occasional banter with colleagues, the lunch and tea breaks, and above all, the ride back home, sometimes with a great sense of fulfillment and productivity, after a long day’s work.

Work from home snatched away all these pleasures and it simply became oh-so-dull and boring after a point. Hopefully, in 2021, companies will look to returning to office, allowing us to finally burst out of our cramped shells.

Abandoning suspicion

All of 2020, we have been petrified of each other. Is the person next to us a carrier? Every sneeze and cough sent us into a tizzy. Not to mention all the death glares that followed if you so much as rubbed your nose in public. Most of us found ourselves in such situations now and then. And a mask-less face, rightly, was looked upon as a crime.

Hopefully, 2021 will relieve us of the fear, shame and judgement. If we can freely sneeze and cough, guarded of course, without any guilt or paranoia, 2021 will have done its part in normalising our lives.


Also read: Work to biting nails to Netflix – What we learned and unlearned in 2020


Going to movies

What was the last film I saw in theatres? I don’t remember. Do you? Going to the movies seems like a distant memory now, and the idea much more appealing than ever. Sure, most of us have moved on to consuming films on OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. But the joy of immersing ourselves in the charm of big screen will hit us in a new way when we are next at the movies. I can feel it already.

Even though multiplexes and single-screen theatres across the country opened in the latter part of the year, they hardly had any new good movies to offer.

The year 2021 shows promise for those like me craving for a theatrical experience, with most big-ticket releases having been postponed for release in the new year.


Also read: Bollywood gets personal. Come live in SRK’s house after a horrendous 2020


Going outdoors

The year 2020 caged us to our homes, and there was a seismic shift in the way we celebrated and lived our lives — be it holidaying, organising and attending weddings, concerts, functions, house parties or even eating out. While many gigs and events were cancelled, small, intimate gatherings replaced big, fat, lavish celebrations. As we all learned, socially distant functions with limited guests were no fun.

So, hopefully, 2021 will set the ball rolling for lavish, large-scale celebrations that we were so used to earlier, and also make us feel safe enough to party in crowded bars.

As far as our holidays are concerned, expecting 2021 to give us a chance to finally help us plan that much-needed vacation — which 2020 so rudely put on hold — without worrying much about the restrictions and the Covid protocols.

Going to a beach or a mountain and enjoying the experience without bothering about following the Covid norms is something many of us are keenly looking forward to in 2021.

All the wishes and greetings that we send out every 31st December — and most of January — rarely ever meant so much before. We truly mean it this time around. 2021 isn’t just any year. It’s one that everyone is hoping will truly be a happy new year — and not just an extended version of 2020.

So, let’s welcome 2021 and wish everyone a happy and healthy year ahead.

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