Part 7 of our series: What I'm Grateful For From 2020
After two years of serious drought had rocked the cotton industry in which he works, Dr Oliver Knox was already "starting 2020 in a pretty bad place". Then bushfires and COVID-19 compounded matters. However, the Senior Lecturer in the School of Environmental and Rural Science at UNE developed some valuable new rituals that he intends making a feature of daily life this year, 2021.
"The year 2020 was incredibly hard," Oliver says. "I'd long ago decided that I didn't have it in me to be a farmer, and 2020 was one of those years when I was very glad I had made that decision.
"The biggest thing I was grateful for was technology. Even though most of my family is in Scotland, I've been able to FaceTime them every week and that's been amazing. When we couldn't attend my niece's wedding, we could at least watch it in real time on YouTube. I think our family has actually kept in contact more than usual, through Messenger and Facetime. It reminds me of those Canadian engineering students who redrew Maslow's hierarchy of needs a few years ago and added wi-fi to the bottom. If there was a time to be thankful for CSIRO and all the wonderful things it has enabled us to do connectivity-wise, through the invention of wi-fi, then 2020 would be the year.
"I usually do a lot of mountain biking, and with the summer and winter race seasons decimated in 2020 I didn't get on the bike for about six months. I've come to appreciate just how important that physical exercise is, but also the mental time out; just turning everything off and being you on the bike in nature. I plan to be out on the track as often as I can this year, just making time for me and the things I enjoy.
We are all incredibly busy and usually cater to the needs of those around us before we cater to our own needs.
"In 2020 I learnt that if we are broken, we can't do as good a job. Self-care is important and I plan on embracing the things I enjoy a lot more in 2021. One of them will be regular meditation - just taking the time to reflect on the positives in life and have a bit of gratitude, to breathe and focus on myself.
"I've also been reflecting on how I interact with others. There's a sense of urgency associated with many of our interactions and it's easy to get panicked by that. A five-minute meditation or a few minutes of conscious breathing can provide a moment to refocus, so you can come at the task afresh, with open eyes. This year I am also hoping to become a more attentive listener.
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Image: Dr Oliver Knox with one of the amazing results from the Soil Your Undies Challenge, a collaboration between him, CottonInfo, UNE SMART Farms and UNE Discovery. It involves participants burying 100 percent cotton underwear, digging them up after eight weeks, and seeing how the results reflect the health - or otherwise - of the soil.
"By sacrificing a few things that were not important in 2020, I created more space for myself. I focused on the one thing that I would control, which is me. Putting myself first sounds selfish, but I feel better for it.
"I'm grateful that I finished 2020 having recognised what is important to me and what is important for me. I am the one responsible for the decisions on what I do and don't do. COVID and everything else has reminded me of that."
Also in this series:
- Part 1: 'I won't go back to what I was doing before'
- Part 2: 'My workmates gave me strength when I was on my knees'
- Part 3: A new appreciation of the essentials - the people around us
- Part 4: Back in the arms of family after months of separation
- Part 5: Adventure vs the quiet life: Lifelong traveller ‘lucky in lockdown’
- Part 6: Regional life: A gift in the year of lockdown
- Part 8: 'My optimism has surprised even me'
