2020 has definitely been a year that not one single person in this world will forget. Very few people would never have dreamed to see a pandemic in their lifetime. When the word COVID-19 was released at the beginning of the year, I didn’t really believe, know what to expect or that it would change lives forever. A month into all of this after Canada started to see the effects is when I started to realize this isn’t going to be gone right away. It wasn’t like every other viruses that the world has experienced in the last couple of decades.

It doesn’t hurt to dream that the next year is going to be better than the last. That’s what I always hope for. Last year I got promoted in my job to a management level, got engaged and started planning my wedding. The year of 2020 couldn’t have started any better. My fiancé and I booked our destination wedding to Jamaica for November. We also had friends and my parents join us on an unforgettable trip to Sri Lanka which is where my fiancé is originally from. We were one of the lucky ones who got one last adventure in across the world before COVID-19 hit. I feel like it was the day we flew back that people were already wearing masks in the airport which was different from the time we flew to Sri Lanka. It took a month in a half for it to fully hit Canada and March 15th is another day Canadians or any one living here won’t forget.

Right before March 15th, we looked at our very first house to own. It seemed crazy at the time to buy but we had hope because we both kept our jobs when others were not as lucky. My job was not my actual title at work but I did continue to work elsewhere in the same company. I struggled every day for a couple of months not knowing when or if I would be back in my job title but I was so appreciative that I was not laid off. It happened and the new phase was released and I was back in the job I have a huge passion for. It wasn’t the same as there were new protocols, wasn’t as busy and the atmosphere was different but I was happy to be back at it. The hope was there again that life was turning around.

September came along and has hit full force not for the good unfortunately. First off we have house issues to deal with that will cost us money instead of spending it on the exciting items in the house. We finally had to make the decision to move our wedding date to January with the hopes this is going away. As it looks now, I don’t think COVID is going to get better by than either. Last but not least, the words I feared back in March. I’ve now been laid off from my job indefinitely. Bad or good things are supposed to come in 3’s but a couple days after that I had a flat tire which is not the end of the world but when the first 3 happens it feels like a lot. Oh on top of it, my wedding dress is supposed to show up in a week and I don’t think I’ll be wearing it anytime soon.

It took over 10 years for me to decide what I wanted to do and I got the chance to do it only for a short few years. My career choice won’t be available anytime soon anywhere else due to COVID. Fear of not knowing once again has kicked in and I feel like it’s starting all over again. I don’t know what is next. I put everything I had into my last job/career and was able to be promoted twice in a couple years. I felt like I succeeded once in my life. To do that though, I lost out on having a life at home, any sort of social life, didn’t have time to do the things I loved and definitely missed out on family events I never should have. 3 1/2 years later of living in the Okanagan and I barely even know what there is to offer here.

The saying of “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” well I don’t feel like I know how to “make lemonade” right now. I never really had a plan B because I worked so hard on getting plan A. I know there is people out there in this world that have had a way worse year then all of this and I hope they find the courage to fight through. What I do know is that everyone deals with situations differently and not everybody can control their emotions the right way either. This is my story of living through a pandemic and it’s going to take time for me to fight back. I hope others that are struggling can fight back faster than me. Through hospitality, I’ve seen COVID bring out the worst but also the best in people. Thank you to the people that are making the world a better place.

My happy place is to travel to the ocean/beach somewhere new in the world. Now I just try and dream of being there with my feet in the water to figure out what’s next.