Regain

Regain – to get back to (something); to reach (something) again

I read some time ago that one of the New Year practices that people do was to choose a word that they could use as a guide or a mantra for the coming year. Instead of drawing up New Year resolutions, you visualize what you want your year to be by describing it tin a word. I’ve been meaning to do this for the past several years but I never really sat down and seriously thought about it. But this time I did. 

Before the end of last year, I took some time to look back at the last few years of my life. And I realized that I have lost a lot in terms of personal habits. Things that I used to do but somehow stopped doing for one reason or another. So, I figured why not try to bring them all back. Hence, REGAIN. 

As of this writing, we are halfway thru the year and the world is not the same as it used to be. This COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down. But despite the turmoil humankind is facing now, I seem to be progressing on my personal goals. 

So, what have I regained?

First, I wanted to regain my health. I have been negligent in keeping myself in tiptop shape. I knew it but I refuse to do anything about it. So, I started working out. It was a steady climb but I managed to build up my strength and endurance. Right now, I have already lost a few inches off my waist and I am a little less breathless when coming up to the second level of our house. Now that’s progress! A celebrity I admire recently posted in his Instagram account a photo of his fit bod that he has worked hard to achieve for the past year with a caption “Mindset is everything.” And I cannot agree more. 

Second, I wanted to regain my love of writing. I still love it, but I was just not doing it. I used to regularly write in my daily journal and even in my personal online blog but I stopped. I am not sure why. I got lazy, I guess. But now I am writing again and even dabbling on poetry on the side. It is not that good, might even be crap, but as they say, “Create everyday even if it sucks”. Maybe and hopefully I get better as I move along.

Third, I wanted to expose myself again to a variety of movies and TV shows. I got hooked on a particular tandem in the past few years and I have concentrated all my viewing efforts on them that I missed out on a lot of shows that I would have seen had I not been sidetracked. So far, I finished Homeland, Money Heist, This is Us, Atypical, Better Call Saul, Sense8 and Lucifer. I am not into K-dramas but I saw Crash Landing Into You and Parasite. I have seen documentaries on flu, Ebola virus, holocaust, Vietnam war, crime investigations, terrorism, racial discrimination, nature and more. So yeah, I’ve been busy. 

I have a few more on my REGAIN list and I still have the rest of the year to try to reclaim them. Or maybe just continue what I have started. 

And I also wish that we recover what we lost during this pandemic – our jobs, our freedom to go out, being close to each other, hugging, etc. Until then, stay safe.