It has been 32 days since I stepped out of my house like million others around the world.
32 is just a number – a number, which to me, shows extreme hope and faith that this too shall pass.
We do not know how many more days we have to be at home but to tell you the truth – I have not missed going out at all.
When the lockdown started, it was just a few days after my daughter had finished her Grade X Board exams. She along with a number of kids were heartbroken – they had plans to party and enjoy – all of which came to an abrupt end. The kids today are very mature, understanding and resilient. Save for a few episodes of tantrums and anger , which I attribute to teenage, they are coping well.
As for me, social media interaction with friends became as important and I realized within a week that everything the world was doing to keep themselves busy – I was not enjoying even one bit of these activities.
Whilst cleaning and dusting is a combined effort, things like cooking , craft, and “developing” a new hobby was not appealing at all.
I had my meltdowns but was quick to recover and say that if it’s happening to me, I’m sure it’s happening to everyone at some point or the other.
So I made a list of things that I liked and put myself at a zero expectation level I knew what I did not want to compromise on – Brewathought, Yoga, Walking, Reading and Digital entertainment along with Social Media (thankfully I have learnt the skill of balancing this necessary evil). Does that list look ordinary? Yes, because I am as ORDINARY as ever.
Whilst it is a pleasure to watch the accomplishments of everyone around me, I perhaps have a list of what I did not do and I am proud of it. My papa always called me the rebel. Maybe it is that or maybe it is about not following the herd ( with due respects), here are 10 things that I DID NOT do:
1. Cook culinary delights (definitely not the Dalgona coffee)
2. Bake
3. Craft
4. Binge watch shows
5. Sleep and laze
6. Attend zoom meetings
7. Take an online course
8. Play family games
9. Clean the clutter
10 Watch news endlessly
What DID I DO then?
Made plans for Brewathought
Yoga
Indoor Walk
Read
Gardening
Music
Write
Called up friends
Spoke more to my parents
Pushed the others to make the most of the Lockdown( I am a Coach after all!)
The lockdown has led me to believe that we as people can live frugally, can be minimalistic and yet be able to create our Hygge.
It also made me realise my Ikigai – that my sense of purpose was more in supporting people with their sense of purpose.
I can come across as boastful but this is my truth – in a month- my daughter bagged an internship, my husband – who never had an inclination to read beyond non fiction started to scout for genres from the home library, my mother in law took to indoor walking for 20 minutes everyday, my mother started taking care of herself more, my father began to ease his routine so as to be more relaxed and my sister – well! I’m still working on that because she is the best as she is! Truly inspiring !
So here’s a huge cheers to me! To my unproductive, under utilised and quaint self in the lockdown! May good health be with all of us and let’s pray we can soon go out to times when we do not have to make lists of what we are as achievers or under achievers!