4: Seek out what magnifies your spirit.

In July 2020, I lost my mother to Covid-19 while she was in India. Unable to travel, we watched the funeral via video from Dubai, together with many loved ones from across the world. As it happened, I felt deep sorrow that I could not be with my mum and dad during her final days. Still, I felt deeply connected to my family in a way I had not before. We prayed and grieved together every day, connected and reached out to each other more, and began healing together. We held a service for her online, our friends and family from across the world joined us to celebrate her life; many shared their memories. It filled my heart with joy to know how much mum was loved, the many lives she touched and the incredible legacy she leaves behind.

My mum may have passed thinking she lived an ordinary life, but I know from my experience and the stories others shared what an extraordinary life mum lived. That’s how humansof2020.com was born – a platform to share seemingly familiar stories, but ones that may extraordinarily touch another. Here are a few of my experiences. I lost my mum but connected more deeply with my family. My husband discovered he had leadership skills that he never knew he possessed. We found more joy in simple things. We were astonished to find out we could live on literally half of what we were spending before the pandemic. We started eating healthier. The teachers at my kids’ school became wizards at using technology. Our clients became more respectful. We saw stingrays and large shoals of other fish gamboling in the undisturbed marina. My husband and I took the time to figure what we were really good at – and set some goals to work that into a social enterprise. 

The last picture with my mum, Eliza Tauro on her 70th birthday in February 2020

We hoped to launch the humansof2020 website on January 1st, 2021. But that was not to be – on new year’s eve a few minutes to midnight; I found out that I had tested positive for the Covid-19. At that moment, it seemed to deflate my spirit, but looking back, it could not have worked out better. I was not alone in quarantine, I am blessed to have recovered from it without any complications, and I had the best support system surrounded by friends and family. One of my favourite quotes has been – Seek out what magnifies your spirit: people, books, ideas, places, experiences! During this time, I was surrounded by people who magnified my spirit that even the pandemic could not diminish.

We hope and pray that this pandemic is the last that we will see for a long time. But if another pandemic does appear in one form or the other, now or years later, humansof2020.com could be one place that future generations go to for inspiration, lessons and courage. You can be sure that someday, somebody on the planet is waiting for your story.

With love and gratitude,

Bettina Tauro
Founder, Humansof2020

Did you know humansof2020.com is a self-publishing platform? The stories are not curated and open to everyone to share their experience. Join the community and share your experience today.