Hey everybody that reads this, as you may have noticed if you have read my blog before, you know that I have started in 2017. I have had periods in which I have tried to post once or twice every week, but lately there has been a long silence from my side. With starting my masters degrees at university, going abroad for an internship and having to come back early because of COVID, 2020 has been a rocky year. However, since I am back in the Netherlands and have found a new balance between work, study and relaxation, I hope to have more time to try out recipes and knitworks, to bring you inspiration!

2020 has brought a lot of misery, but for me it also brought me peace. I have spend the last 22 years of my life trying to control everything around me (and of course, failing at it). However, with the coming pandemic I have realized that I cannot, and that most things find a way of working out for themselves. Yes, my medical internships were shortly postponed, but they were resumed. Yes, I had to finish my research internship in silico, but I was able to combine that with daily walks in nature (or for example, visiting the beach). Yes, I did not take care of my (mental) health, but I am doing much better again.

In these periods I try to remember the mantra I had in high school:

παντα ρει και ουδεν μενει.

Everything flows and nothing stays. Most feelings or situations will pass, and a new state will arise. I used to use this when I felt anxiety or depression in class but did not want to show it. It helped me to put things into perspective, and generally it helped to reduce these negative feelings.

Let’s hope the same thing is true about the pandemic and that we’re on the home stretch; stay safe, stay sane. Things will change.

PS: I’m writing this on the 28^th of January 2021 around 7 a.m. I woke up at around 4 a.m. feverish with COVID, but pulling through. I’ll read this again later and check if I am making any sense 😉