COVID-19 AND I

        Today is 22nd August of the year 2020. A year we all will remember for all the wrong reasons. The Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdowns all over the world have changed the way we have been living our lives. The fast-paced urban life came to a pause. We all are stuck in our abodes to contain the infection. The more we stay indoors the better, they say. But the count keeps soaring despite that. I am not going to delve more into why this happened and what could have been done to tackle the situation better, but I am about to express my observation and learning from this pandemic.

1.    I have always been a homely person. I keep busy with my hobbies that I find it difficult to leave my home to run errands or anything else, especially hobby classes for kids. It wasn’t difficult for me to cope up with the home-alone condition. But, I thought my kids would find it difficult especially when the schools are closed, the parks are closed and the outdoor visits have completely stopped. To my utter surprise, both my 6 yo and 3 yo never showed any sign of distress because of this. Rather, they coped better than many of us adults. They never even threw tantrums. This made me think. What do kids want? A secured homely environment!? Weren’t we able to provide that all these years? I have tried my best to be with them. Wasn’t that enough? I then realized my husband was never home for these long hours at a stretch in a day. They mostly found him away from home for his work commitments. The weeks went by like a tornado; the weekends were busy with stuff other than the office. Bank and post office related work and social commitments ate away the peace and solace of the family time during weekends. We missed the essence of simple living. Kids don’t need anything fancy. They need simple things; family time, love, and belongingness. When we as a parent fail to provide that and try to fill the void with superficial things, problems start to sprout. I had read a lot about it but this pandemic allowed me to experience this myself. It was an eye-opener.

2.    We have advanced technologically so much that we don’t need to step out of our homes if given a choice. Starting from grocery to green groceries, we can fetch everything at the place we put up. Have we turned out to be more self-centric and lazy because of that? I don’t want to get into that debate right now (probably some other time). This technology and advancement have helped us to manage this pandemic a lot. Also, my husband, who is a dedicated workaholic, who always needed to go to office despite being in the IT sector for having a peaceful work environment, could manage well working from home. I couldn’t help smiling to myself. The same person, who used to go on and on describing how difficult it is to work without a work station, now sits on a cushion and works cozily from a corner of our kids’ play area. He does not seem unhappy despite all the commotion and chaos of our home. Hmmm…. How time changes and how beautifully we adapt to the changing times. Without adaptability, the evolution itself would not have been possible. Then why, we always fear when a change is near! Why can't we embrace it?   

3.    My son’s school started their online classes from mid-June. I was skeptical about the entire program. How hard I have tried to not to let them get hooked to screen; now all will go in vain. After the classes started, he managed quite coolly. Not only that, he learned how to log into his classroom and how to do simple functions on the app like muting the device or switching off the front cam. It took him only a couple of days to attend the classes independently. I was awed. Indeed, a child is the father of the man. A child can do things smoother than an adult human. Why? Because they do without doubting. They do because they have to do and so they learn it sooner. They are free from apparitions and presumptions. I wish them to be like that forever; filled with childlike enthusiasm, positivity, and zeal.

4.    We used to enjoy a meal out every week. And this had become a trend in our family. So much so that, my son started to pitch in and suggest where we can go the next weekend for lunch/ dinner. This sometimes bothered me that it might affect our health. But I didn’t let this thought disturb me much because of the fun we associated with this family time together. The lockdown had put a stop to that. We feared to eat anything that wasn’t cleaned and sanitized in front of our eyes. This was a boon in disguise. We started seeing the positive picture in this. We now know what's getting into our system. Family time is already in abundance, and by God’s grace I can cook a variety of food, so we stopped missing those guilt trips altogether. Starting from chats to pizzas, paranthas to pulavs everything was cooked at home and we all relished them wholeheartedly. It did increase my work and obviously, the luxury of food being served by someone else went out of the window, but seeing my folks licking the dishes clean is very satisfying. I learned that I can survive cooking and cleaning the dishes 24x7 if that gives me happiness and satisfaction. What makes me happy? Happy faces around me make me happy (also, if anyone volunteers to do the dishes for me).

5.    Another important thing that this pandemic made possible is to lead a maid-free life. Yeah, I was dependent on my two maids. I never thought I have to live without them, but thanks to COVID-19 I learned that I can do this too. Also, I get time for almost everything. My routine has improved, and my days are more productive (a topic for another day). I started this blog, I do yoga every day, and I can spend time with my kids for their curriculum and activities. So, my efficiency has improved. Shall I keep my maids again? Well, I have a lot of time to think about it. They are not coming anytime soon, given the current situation.

6.    Earlier, I kept complaining about how less time my husband could save for us as a couple. He is an amazing father; a near-perfect family man. But as a woman, quite naturally, I longed to spend a couple of moments alone with him. I blamed him for being inconsiderate. My constant cribbing might have turned him insensitive, and he stopped responding to such comments altogether. This lockdown put us both under the same roof indefinitely. I could see how tied up he remained with his office work. I had to force him to take a break for his meals or snacks. He also noticed what a herculean job it is to manage the kids and household systematically. We both started appreciating each other's contribution to our family. We stopped complaining. We had built the habit of seeing what wasn't there in our bag, instead of being happy for what we have. This pandemic has turned us more empathic and humane towards each other.

        Now, coming back to my opening lines for the year 2020. Others might term this as jinxed, but my family life has improved during 2020. Thinking from a broader perspective also, the pandemic has done a few goods to our planet and its other creatures. Because we humans were all locked up in our homes, many animals and birds could roam freely on our streets. The pollution levels have come down and the air quality has improved. Although many of us have been impacted adversely because of COVID-19 and in no way it is insignificant, I can't stop seeing the silver lining behind the dark clouds (probably because of the mindful yoga sessions). Every situation has two aspects, and when we start seeing the positive ones prominently, then our lives appear to be more beautiful and worthy. Life may throw peanuts at us, but can't we make a snack out of it to relish?