A quintessential bittersweet cocktail of pleasure and pain, 2021, was familiar, but in an unfamiliar guise. A year whose topography of the distantly approaching metaphorical bed of roses and thorns resolved with greater and greater clarity only when we walked in the room. What started as a possible phase of experiencing lighter shades after being in grey for a long time, turned out to be characterized by enveloping darkness drizzled with moments of delight.
We were astonished by all of the sensations fighting for room in our heads. We experienced a brutal thirst for air as our minds swayed slowly back down to the ground like a falling leaf. It’s true that we experienced terrible things but what’s most gratifying is that we didn’t drop ourselves into a still-life painting of memory because life had broken our heart. We rose in the face of adversity. And Dear 2021, is a celebration of that – a celebration of people who won, a celebration of people who lost and found new reasons to live despite the odds.