I was just glancing through my blog. It has been a while since I posted anything there mainly due to the Covid-19 lockdown. My New Year blog post caught my attention, so I read it again. It was in a letter format. I was shocked to read the concluding part of that post: ‘You can be the turning point for a better world that humankind is desperately searching for!’ Though I didn’t mean anything in particular at that time, now I think 2020 has played out exactly how I had written.

This year started with a reunion in my family. We had travelled to different places, shopped, tried different cuisines, and had a great time together. Little did we know that these are soon going to become luxuries.

Then we heard the news of a new virus and its after-effects in countries far from where we live. We started praying for the recovery of the affected people. At that time not even in my wildest dreams, did I think that we would also have to go through the same situation.

After a month, we started hearing that the same virus has entered our neighbourhood. My first reaction was fear, fear of my family, and myself getting infected. The second emotion was that of helplessness. Hence I started collecting all sorts of information to prevent the attack of the virus.

Since then, turmeric and ginger tea became a regular side drink with all meals. Then I went into an assertive mode and insisted that my family members wash their hands with soap for a minimum of 20 seconds every half hour. I was literally going through a panic attack every time my husband or kids came home from outside!

Now, I can already see people pouring out into the streets just as if the ancient slave cages have been thrown open. The fear of the virus is receding from most people except me. Of course, this is not the first pandemic in history, and definitely, this won’t be the last! So I am coming around to accept the new ‘norm’. Gradually, the angst started subsiding in me.

I remembered the maxims which I used to preach to my kids every now and then, and decided to apply it in my life: Every bad situation will have something positive in it; even a dead clock shows the correct time twice a day, and so on!

Then my daughter completed her degree and came home. I was thrilled that both my kids are at home after a long time, so I started making special dishes for lunch and dinner and a variety of snacks during teatime. I started making different kinds of pickles at home which I never used to do till the lockdown. I also started baking various kinds of cakes regularly.

I even started liking some of the kitchen chores (like washing vessels and cutting vegetables) which I hated earlier. I also took up the role of a camera person for my son’s short films. In between, I found time to do some online courses as well.

But then, as the days passed by, I started reducing the number of dishes one by one, so that there were just one or two side dishes per meal. And I totally stopped the sweets and savories served during tea time. 🙂 However, I made it a point to include lots of veggies, fruits, and sprouts in each meal.

The time-out from regular life forced me to scan my own lifestyle. 2020 has indeed taught me a lot!

  1. I should not take anything for granted: When daily rituals and routines were disrupted for a period of time, I started appreciating the small things in my life. I realized there is magic in every little thing which I had always taken for granted. I realized the value of activities like shopping in malls, visiting libraries and bookstalls, eating out, going to the cinema, attending weddings, and so much more.
  2. I became more grateful for what I have: Many lost their lives and thousands of people lost their loved ones because of Covid.  I am one of the remaining lucky people on this planet. So I should always be grateful for what I have. Instead of worrying about all the things I wish I had, this year I found myself learning to be completely content.
  3. I can spend less and save money: During the initial months of the lockdown period, I was taken aback seeing the monthly credit card bill going down. It was much less compared to previous months. I realized that I can live happily without spending on a lot of things. I was spending so much on non-essentials.  I realized that there is not much in life that is truly essential.

BTW, everyone says 2020 has been the worst year in their lifetime. But is it really so? I don’t agree with that. What do you think? Please share your experience during this lockdown.

I agree that 2020 has been a year unlike any we have ever seen so far. We were literally pushed into various challenging situations and we have realized that we are stronger than we thought! Let us make these strange circumstances grow in ways we never have before.

Let us send a bouquet of gratitude for these precious lessons to 2020 and bid a warm farewell.

Happy empty(?) nesting! 🙂

Men are never really willing to die, except for the sake of freedom. ~Albert Camus

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