The year 2020 was not a typical year for all of us. We didn’t expect such things would happen; forest fires, super typhoons, protests, corruption, and most especially, a pandemic happened.

We have been staying in our homes for quite a long time now. We can’t go out and have fun, do our daily routine, and socialize with other people. All of those ended or shall I say, our old normal ended because of a pandemic. It’s tough to be in this kind of situation but the question is, how are we doing? What have we realized now that we’re into a new year?

I saw a quote on Instagram that says, “2020: learn and 2021: apply.” It made sense to me and I remembered the challenges I went through during the pandemic. I know that the situation we are in for almost a year now made us a better version of ourselves. We learned a lot of values and we even appreciated the small things in life. We also discovered new hobbies and talents we didn’t know we have.

One of the things I’ve learned is to appreciate our health and family and having faith. During the entire pandemic, we are blessed to be with our family. We are also blessed to have food on the table and have a healthy lifestyle. Most importantly, faith is what keeps me going especially in these trying times. Without it, I would be lost.

The word “resolution” is what we hear every New Year. Resolutions are usually made because we want to quit old habits and do better for the year ahead. It also means a fresh start and it helps people have something to look forward to and keep working towards. My resolution for this year is basically applying what I learned during the year 2020 because it gave me a whole new perspective on life.

Let me share with you my friends’ resolutions. First, I asked Jasmine Reyes about her thoughts on the new year and she said, “I treat this new year as a chance to improve every piece of my life. I won’t waste this opportunity and I will continue on doing my best in every step of the way. I am claiming 2021 as my year!”

I also asked what Reyes’s resolutions are. “2020 was the most challenging year of my life. With COVID being the antagonist, it wasn’t easy. However, I am still thankful because I was able to survive and I hope I would continue to. I only have one resolution and that is to be unstoppable in fulfilling my aspirations,” she stated.

Another friend of mine, Jonathan Macaraeg, shared that this new year has been “good” to him so far. He hopes that it will continue to treat him good for the rest of its days.

I asked Macaraeg about the impact that 2020 had on him and his resolutions. He said, “2020 was like a training ground for me. Now that it is already 2021, my resolution is to gain more experiences that will serve as my life teacher. I aim to remain safe and healthy, because the biggest lesson 2020 taught me is that truly, health is wealth.”

What about you, Mustangs? What are your resolutions after experiencing a challenging year? Let’s not forget what 2020 taught us. Now that it’s 2021, it’s a fresh start to apply what we’ve learned the past year.