New year that is not new - how 2021 started

New year that is not new - how 2021 started

When I did the end of year run over the lunch hour on Thursday, December 31, 2020, I was doing this to achieve two objectives.  One was to fulfil the two runs a week practice that I had established for some time now, and two, I wanted to run the Friday run in advance, with the next day being a holiday.

My run around Pioneer estate in Eldoret remained the same that I have now become well accustomed to.  This run is made up of four circuits, with each circuit just about five kilometres each.  A final warm-down circuit is available just in case I still have some energy reserves.  This final circuit is about 4k, but generally on the same route as the earlier four rounds, as I head to the finish line.

I started the run at noon when the weather was downcast.  It looked like it could rain.  The cloud cover that had started a day before had now reached its crescendo and for sure, some rain would have to fall out of the sky – no doubt.  It was now just a matter of when, not if.  This cloud cover was a welcome relief since it has been sunny and dry since I started my holiday in mid-December.  There has not been a drop of rain ever since.  However, the clouds started to fill the sky on Tuesday, and by Wednesday, we had a fully cloud-covered sky.  On Thursday there was no way the sun could even shine through the dark umbrella of clouds up there.  Rain was a must.

The weather remained still, even cold, when I started on the run.  It was not long before I would face the cold wind, hardly one kilometre into my run.  I was heading towards the Sosiani river when the cold intensified.  This was my first run in December in such a cold.  I have been running in the hot sun, suffering a dehydration headache by the time I hit 5k.  Today I was shivering badly, hardly before the second kilometre.

The run continued and the first circuit was soon done.  However, the drizzle started just as I began my second circuit.  If I kept going, then I would be at Sosiani river in ten minutes.  By then it would be too late to take shelter, should the rain get heavier when I was at that section.  So, should I continue with the run or abort it?

I decided that it would be worthwhile to take the risk and even be rained on.  After all, I have been running in the sun for so long.  One day run in the rain would be OK.  I therefore decided to keep going with my second circuit.  The drizzle continued even as I went by Sosiani river.  I would be out of the river section less than five minutes later, and would be back to the trail far from the river.

The drizzle continued, though it did not increase.  The drizzle was gone and the weather remained cold and downcast by the time I was on the fourth circuit.  The otherwise dusty paths had now been sprinkled with the showers to diminish their dust emissions.  My run was therefore not dusty, nor wet, since the rain had not been so much.

I was glad that I was doing this Friday run on a Thursday, since the weather was just perfect for a run.  No sun, no rain, a bit cold, but the manageable kind of cold.  I would soon finish the four full circuits and face the final warm-down circuit that would bring the run home.  The run ended in a time of 2.17.13 over a 25.6k distance.  I was just glad that I was done with runs for the year 2020.

Now it was time to face the new year.

But wait a minute!  Which new year?  In fact, what is new year?  With a curfew at ten and a prohibition against gatherings, there would be no mid-night shouts and merry making.  There would be no midnight noises for the first time in forever.  Can you say that there was a new year if there was no shout of ‘Happy New Year’ at mid-night?  Well, for the first time, there was no such shout.  The night was quiet.  The streets were quiet.  There were no sounds of any movements in the night environment, be it of people, motorbikes or vehicles.  If anything, there was even a drizzle as midnight approached…. and then the midnight just passed.  For the first time, there was not new year!

To prove that there was no new year, I woke up on what was supposed to be a new year, Jan. 1, 2021 and there was nothing new.  The world was still as gloomy as it was the previous day.  If anything, the weather had gone worse.  Those clouds that we thought would bring forth the much-anticipated rains had now dissipated, and the sky had gone back to clear blue.  I was even glad that I had done my run the previous day, since this January 1 date was just too sunny and hot to even contemplate a run.

I would in a moment be doing self-reflection and realizing that new year was what you made it to be.  We have been conditioned to believe that there is some special day in a year, called new year, when things start from zero, and some miracles happen to fulfil your wish list.  Unfortunately, let me burst that bubble.  There is nothing like a new year when new things ‘just happen’ and some ‘new force’ comes to the earth to drastically change your life based on your that wish list, aka ‘new year resolution’.  Forget it!

New year day is like any other day.  Do you usually enjoy your day, regardless of the month/date?  If you do, then continue enjoying each and every day as it comes.  Even if that day coincidentally is called January 1.  Do you want to change something in your life?  Work on it today.  Do not wait for January 1 and expect that some ‘magic’ will come with that day.  Sorry, do what you want every day, any day.  There is no magic that happens on Jan. 1, sorry.

If you do not believe me, then ask yourself this – on Jan. 1, 2020 we started the year with fanfare and wished that life would be good.  By that date, there had been a new virus called corona, discovered in China.  That virus was causing a new disease called COVID-19.  On that day, we had ZERO confirmed cased of COVID-19 in the world, according to the WHO*.  There was nothing.  The attention of the world was still on this new disease, which was yet to be put into context.  On that day we made new year wishes that this new disease should ‘pass’ and made resolutions that it shall not get anywhere near us.

*https://covid19.who.int/

Ask yourself the same question now.  It is Jan. 1, 2021.  We all know that our 2020 wishes on the corona front did not come true.  The new corona disease spread like wildfire and devastated the whole world, as if we never made any new year resolution to keep it at bay.  Not only that, it hit us with a vengeance killing many people that we know – locally and internationally, prominent and commoners, celebrities and celebrators.  It infected and affected many people that we know – our family, our workmates, our neigbours, our acquaintances, our leaders, our selves!  It caused disease burdens, infected and affected human bodies, caused body aches – forced people into hospitals.  Forced and self-quarantine become the norm.

Look at Jan. 1, 2021, when we have 84,418,109 COVID-19 infections and 1,834,807 deaths globally.  In Kenya, the numbers are 96,614 with 1,681 deaths.  So why were we assuming that a new year wish was the antidote?  Why would we believe that is shall be different as we start a new year?  Of course, we cannot lose hope, but we should be waiting for a particular date in the year to make resolutions.  Tackle things as they come.  

Good news – It is not all gloom.  The death rate from COVID-19 has remained low (2% globally, 2% locally).  Many people who get the corona virus shall recover, mostly without even need for hospitalization.  And even more music to the year – we have at least three vaccines approved for use and already in use (from Pfizer-BionTec, AstraZeneca, Moderna).  Our Kenyan shutdown of most sectors is being lifted progressively.  Even all our schools are being open tomorrow.  We shall just live with masks, social distancing, hand washing and self-quarantine with healthy living, in the event that we get the virus.

You still do not believe me that there was not new year?  There is usually no new year without fireworks at midnight right?  Well, there were no fireworks at midnight this time round.  Some people tried their fireworks at 10.00pm before the curfew started…. but that was still not at midnight.

My parting shot is that we should live our lives fully, one day at a time.  Let us start doing what we want to do on, the date that we want to it.  We cannot just be waiting for January 1 to somehow, miraculously change our lives or start something new.  Change your life on any calendar day of the year.  Start anything new on any calendar day of the year.  Do not wait for January.  Just like the corona issue taught us, we cannot live on ‘wishful-hopeful’ based on a particular calendar day.  Hoping that making a resolution on such a day will somehow change things.  Let us live every day fully, no waiting for a particular day of the year to make wishes.

WWB, the Coach, Eldy, Kenya, Jan. 3, 2021