#WritingOutput/Newsletter
Random Walk newsletter, issue 27#
Observations & Insights#
Health
Today is the last day of 2022. It has been 5 weeks since I sent out the last Newsletter. This is the first and also the last one for December. 😂 There are many reasons for this. First of all, it's because of the pandemic. About two weeks ago, Beijing experienced a peak in cases, and my family and I were not spared. When the restrictions were lifted, we were constantly searching for fever-reducing medicine, especially for the children. Adults can handle it to some extent, but I was particularly worried about the children. As a result, in our family, the kids had the mildest symptoms. They only had a fever for a while when they went to bed at night, and they were not affected during the day. They ate and played as usual.
After two weeks, most of my family members have recovered. We have also heard news about many elderly people passing away through the news. To be honest, I knew this would be the result even before the restrictions were lifted, but it seems that there is no better solution. Just think about how Universal Studios has long queues again, and funeral homes are also crowded. It truly reflects the saying that "the joys and sorrows of mankind are not connected." Let's cherish and be grateful. I am grateful to be one of the lucky ones.
Work
In mid-December, luckily, I didn't catch the infection. I successfully passed the probation defense. I remember spending a long time revising the PowerPoint slides that weekend, and I continued to work on them until 1 am on Monday. Finally, on Tuesday, I passed the review by my leader. I would like to thank him for being serious and responsible. He also had a clear understanding of the direction of the content, so his suggestions were very specific. It made me once again despise my ability to summarize and write.
2022 has been a challenging year. There have been waves of layoff news, and finally, in June, it reached me. I have to admit that I felt down for two days. I'm not an optimistic person to begin with, and going through adversity tends to amplify emotions and feelings. But I also have a strength, which is the ability to adjust. Or I think I am good at handling things on the spot. No matter how negative or nervous I was before, once the situation arises, I can focus and perform steadily. It also relies on this advantage of mine. The results of the subsequent interviews were good. I had three companies, one reached the final round, and I got offers from the other two. I joined my current company and successfully passed the probation. I hope 2023 will bring improvement. Recently, I truly understand the slogan, "It's only good when everyone is doing well." If the overall environment is not good, no one can thrive individually. It may not have an immediate impact, but it will be hard to avoid in the long run.
Persistence
This year, I have been persistent in a few things.
- Learning vocabulary. Now when I read English articles, I clearly feel that my vocabulary has increased.
- Writing. This includes daily journaling and the Newsletter. Although there may be delays, I haven't stopped.
- Exercise. I have been able to stick to running almost every week, except for this month due to the infection.
There is one thing I haven't done well, which is going to bed early. I still sleep between 12:30 am and 1:30 am. I have been trying to change this for a long time, but the results are not good.
2023
To be honest, I don't think I have ever had high expectations for a new year before. It used to be year after year, and I became somewhat numb. But after three years of the pandemic and experiencing layoffs, I have started to have some expectations for the future.
First of all, I hope for good health. During those two days of having a fever, all work pressure and trivial matters were completely forgotten. Besides good health, everything else is trivial. I also hope that everyone is in good health. I hope the virus becomes weaker and can be treated like a common cold. Only then can we truly return to normal life. Currently, there is still a risk of reinfection. As the saying goes, "After three years, the pandemic has finally arrived." I hope it will pass sooner, truly pass.
Secondly, I hope for stability in my work. Of course, I will also work hard. I don't mean to have a stable job where I can just relax. At least, I don't want to experience various layoffs like this year again.
Lastly, I hope to be more courageous and live in the present. There is no need to scare myself. I recently came across a quote that I want to share with everyone: "Fear knocks on the door, but courage opens it, and there is nothing outside the door."
Finally, I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.
That's all for this issue of the Newsletter. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Thank you for reading.