2020 - The Reconstruction Experience

I always complain about the process which takes longer than i thought whether if it is something about business, or just a road that i have to walk . Additionally, if ugly things are happening back to back in these days, I could be a huge pain in the ass for everybody around me. I complain a lot, hate a lot, reject a lot. I could make you feel like the world is the shittiest place and our lives are so miserable.

But then, when the process (or just the long road we walked) comes to an end, when I am able to see things happened from outside, like a 3rd person pov, I usually joke about me and whatever happened to us during the trip.

We just lived maybe the craziest year of our lives, at least until for now :) Actually, it started great for us.. after 2 amazing years in Ljubljana, we were so hyped to move and open our new flagship store in Amsterdam, looking out for the right spot in the city, already linking with the locals and feeling the vibes of the city.

You all know the end of the movie.. The Covid freakshow stole the starring role, changed the norms of the whole world. We get used to live a sci-fi movie(sh) life covered with masks, lockdowns, restrictions, etc.. And we had to delay our projects until the end of restrictions due to safety reasons.

On the other hand, the Worldwide rise of racism, ignorance against the LGBT, governmental issues, police brutality, deaths of icons like Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman, exposure of dirty bastards like Epstein and Weinstein, were not helping us to have a better year.

Like the road example i mentioned in the beginning, this was the time that we turned back and really analyzed 2020 and whatever it made to us..

We were in dark places, pushed ourselves in the shadows. Thinking and talking a lot about ourselves, our business, our future.. When you have enough free time to think by yourself, the results could be dangerous because sometimes it comes out that your inner thoughts are different than your wishful thoughts, and it might be really devastating.. but things actually came out amazingly great.

Right now, i can say that actually 2020 was a great experience for me. For the first time since my childhood, I had time by myself.. very restricted business activities, no outside action, no school, no meeting with friends, no concerts, gigs or parties, not even sports for a long time.. you are alone, just by yourself, no distractions.

I am heartfully sorry for everybody that lost someone, or faced any bad issues during the last year. A lot of people lost their lives, or relatives, millions of people lost their jobs.. We lost close people of ours, no need to mention financial loss, too..

But I would say that I am grateful for 2020, because for the first time in my life, I had to pause to do whatever I gotta do, and it taught me a lot about myself, gave me time to reconstruct myself. I (re)found out the real values, such as importance of being together with family, the genuine time we had with our

friends (not mentioning the social media), missing the things we have done outside our homes over playing Play Station for hours, how much I love my business, its visitors and followers, how much I enjoyed having time with you all in our shop, or basically the great feeling of being alive.. That same feeling when you have goosebumps in a concert, or when you are riding a board, or just like the same feeling when you look up to the skies and take a deep breath..

Sinan