Corona Diaries Final Entry: Small Achievements…

It has been some time since the national lock down across India was lifted. Even though things are still far from normal, we have to move ahead. There are mixed feeling everywhere. On one hand, we can now move around with some restrictions, we are not out of it yet. I have been at home since late March. While I spent an entire Summer behind closed doors, many embarked on a long journey back home and countless others stood on the front line to deal with the pandemic head-on. They are still fighting. More power to them.

As the world starts to open its doors, I am still standing at the window. I will be honest, it still feels strange. That idea of ‘normal’ does not exist any more. Meanwhile, my social media is flooded with post of achievements by my fellow humans. Someone painted a series of new artwork, someone managed to master baking, another learnt a new language. As I scroll through the feed, a familiar feeling creeps in quietly. ‘What did I achieve?’ Silly as it may sound, even in the midst of chaos, comparison just doesn’t seem to quit. How can it? We have been raised to look at what is growing in our neighbor’s garden before focusing on what we need to nurture in our own.

So, what DID I achieve? Well, for starters, I managed to make the most of my Netflix subscription over the course of my prolong home stay. I have mastered a grand total of 5 new recipes that I can cook from scratch. I can cut onions in record time without shedding too many tears. I also picked up a few new professional skills and learnt some more about Digital Marketing. And most importantly, I managed to keep my mental health a priority most of the time.

Yup, that is what I did. And I am okay with that. I do not need to come out of this whole lock down with trophies. I just need to come out safe and sane. So, no. I do not want to look at your perfect collection of projects. I will just sit down for tea and prepare for what is about to come next.

With this, I wrap up my Corona Diaries. Small achievements count. Indeed.

Stay Safe Everyone! ❤

(Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash)

Corona Diaries 20: Of sleep and shoulder pain…

We rarely appreciate things when they are doing well. Troubles are strange agents of realization.

So, things were going as smooth as they can during the quarantine and I was doing okay myself. And then one day, I woke up to a horrible pain in my left shoulder and a very stiff neck. It was probably a night or two of me sleeping in an odd position. ‘It should be fine by tomorrow,’ I thought. And was I wrong or what. The pain got worse over the next few days and I was unable to move my entire arm. What made it worse was that I could not even move my neck.

I generally do not give much thought to how I sleep. I just am glad that I manage to get some sleep. Turns out, sleeping like Superman taking off is not an ideal position. Who knew?! I did after a week long ordeal. At first, I thought it was a muscle cramp. Later found out it was much more serious than that. It was a pinched nerve around my neck and shoulder area. The pain and the restriction to movement could go on for weeks or longer depending on how severe it is and how I take care of myself. So, the first thing I did was read up on this and follow the instructions.

Over the next seven days, I avoided working on my laptop as much as I could, limited my cellphone use, slept on my back with two pillows to provide neck and shoulder support, massaged my arm frequently and walked around my room like a robot.

When you choose to do nothing, it is a luxury. When you are forced to do nothing, it is a punishment. Power of choice is potent.

My arm eventually got better. It felt great. Never have I ever been so glad to be able to touch my toes with both my arms stretched. Little things in life.

Take Care Everyone. Stay Safe!

(Photo by hessam nabavi on Unsplash)

Corona Diaries 18: The dance of electricity…

So, the lock down in India is likely to be extended. Again. I wouldn’t say anyone was surprised though. Everyone in my neighborhood has adjusted quite well, their kids though are another stories. Who can blame them?

 

However, there is a downside to everything. With a majority of them being corporate employees, there is a lot of work-from-home going on. And since we have now entered the fabulous month of May, you would be mad not to put the Air-conditioning on when it is 37 degrees Celsius outside. What is the downside you ask? Power outage. Yes. Fabulous periods of no electricity.

 

Today was one such day. Everyone woke up to do their Zoom calls with no pants on and most of their screens went Kaput! And under normal circumstances, lights are back on within 20 minutes. Since we are in quarantine, it took over 5 hours. Doing what we do best, the whole neighborhood was out on their windows in their Bermuda shorts and unshaven glory. Nice to see people not care about their looks for once. And as soon as the electricity service people arrived to do their magic, everyone was visibly happy and thankful.

 

This was yet another lesson for me about how we take our essential workers and service people for granted. Our lives would not function without them. I just wish that their pay would reflect their importance soon enough.

 

Stay Safe Everyone!

 

 

 

(Photo by James Pond on Unsplash)

Why we should pave our short-cuts…

Short-cuts. Although not always desirable, they come in real handy when we are pressed for time. Or in my case, when you are just plain lazy. And by short-cuts I do not just mean that dingy alley you take to get back home before a deadline. It extends to life saving hacks we resort to every other day. Say dry shampoo is a clever short-cut to not wash your hair. It is easy, saves time and it works!

 

Recently, I was reading about something called ‘Desire Paths’. By definition, a desire path is a path created due to erosion caused by foot-fall or traffic (human or animal). These desire paths are essentially short-cuts to reach a place of interest sooner as compared to any other way. There were cases when institutes waited for desire paths to form and paved them for everybody’s convenience. I was fascinated by this.

 

So, I took this desire path thingy and applied it to my daily routine. Habits that I form to do things more efficiently in a time saving manner as compared to how they are traditional done. One thing I noticed was I had unknowingly created numerous desire paths in my schedule. For example, when I did not have time to read a book that I had started, and a great many days had passed, I would download their audible version and listen to it while going about my morning routine. Over time I realized there was a pattern to this. Whenever I started a book on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, it was more likely that I would leave it mid-way. It was strange.

 

So, I decided that whenever I had a book in mind that I felt like picking up in the middle of the week, I would instead download the audible version. This not only made sure that I completed the book, but also saved my time trying to recollect the plot all over again.

 

I am pretty sure the desire path phenomenon can be of many other great uses. It is up to us and how soon we are able to recognize these desire paths created and how much more sooner we decide to pave them for our own good.

 

 

 

(Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash)

Corona Diaries 17: The plunge of introspection…

Isolation can be quite helpful sometimes. Lately, I have been doing a lot of reading and a little bit of thinking. Among the many things I know about, I guess the subject I am best at is myself. And yet, the more I lean in to listen, the more I learn about me.

 

I have been thinking about my life, my dreams and the ways I sought to achieve them. I have been thinking about the friends I made and lives that touched mine through the years and phases. I am cherishing the bonds I have and reminiscing the ones I let go without wanting them back. I realize that forgiveness does not require re-connection. You can remember the good times and not want them anymore. It is a strange epiphany.

 

A  pause can lead to restlessness and it can also lead to calm. You take what you get and try to make the best of it. I am trying to do just that…

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

 

 

(Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash)

Corona Diaries 16: High-maintenance house plant…

Summers in Mumbai are my least favorite. It is hot, humid and just far too hot. Lately the temperature has soared to around 40 degrees Celsius.  With humidity levels at a whopping 77% average, my living turns into a sauna daily.

 

I just wish I could get myself a big tub of water and stay submerged like a hippo in it. With only my nose and the top of my head out of the water. It would be perfect.

 

As it is not currently possible (I never ruled-out great ideas), I try my best to beat the heat and stay hydrated. I shower often and make sure I have multiple bottles of water. I am trying to balance my diet as well by avoiding greasy food, while adding fruit servings throughout the day. At the end of it, I have come to realize that I am basically a plant, a very high maintenance house plant that needs constant watering and loads of shade. This thought has helped me stay on course.

 

We tend to take care of things that we have. More often we tend to forget that our bodies  also need to be taken care of. That is my simple realization for today.

 

Stay Home. Stay Safe.

 

 

 

(Photo by Emily Rudolph on Unsplash)

Corona Diary 15: The long hiatus…

 

Writing is my escape. And sometimes I need an escape from my escape. If any of that makes sense. Isolation is funny. It can be productive to an extent and exhausting if you are not careful. Your thoughts tend to wonder from times to time. This wondering is what I am being careful about.

 

Life before the lock down had me going out almost every day, meeting people and exchanging ideas. Different perspectives are stimulating and keep you from drowning in your personal stream of thoughts. Now, with the new normal setting in, conversations are few and select. Most of my dialogues are monologues. Good or bad, it is what it is. On one side, I have thought about topics I had not pondered over in about a decade. I have read about them, gained insights and reasoned on their varied aspects with myself. On the other hand, I have realized that you can only fill a cup till a limit before it starts spilling over its brim. I have a vague idea about my mental brim. And thoughts seemed to spill over.

 

So, I did what I thought would help. I took a step back. It was not easy to put a pause on things, but it was needed. That is the beauty of life, we can restart as much as we like.

 

Hope everyone is safe and healthy. Take Care!

 

 

 

(Photo by Niclas Moser on Unsplash)

Corona Diary 14: Here comes anxiety…

So, today it was announced that the lock down in Maharashtra, India would be extended till the 30th of April, 2020. We all knew it was coming, not necessarily were we prepared. These are tough times.

 

I have been trying to be positive through this ordeal. So far, it has been okay. Now, I think I am beginning to freak out a little. I am human. And, I have anxiety. I have not been able to write for the NaProWriMo since a few days. Inspiration seems to have evaporated in this heat. God! Mumbai Summers!

 

So, last night, I decided I would start fixing and following a schedule. I wrote down, 3 simple tasks that I would accomplish today.

1. Wake-up by 8:00 am and finish breakfast, bath, whatever by 10 am.
2. Set the work space and start by 10:30 am.
3. Finish work and write something for yourself later.

 

I accomplished none of these. I am not losing hope though. Nope. This is exactly the time when I need to be more hopeful. So, tonight, I noted that I did not follow through the tasks and will try again tomorrow. I made the same list and drew a smiley. I will try…

 

Stay safe everyone.

Corona Diary 13: Cooking food…

My day was good. I kept myself busy in the kitchen all day long. I have been reading up on a lot of South Indian recipes lately. And, I pride myself over the fact that I can make a mean Bisi Bele Bath (a spicy rice dish with lentils) and plan to try out other delicacies with the limited ingredients I have right now.

 

I am trying to stay healthy and eat better. Right now it is so easy to slip a few snacks or hog on instant noodles. As much as I like them and am thankful that they exist, they cannot be my daily meal. Cooking dishes from scratch takes time and patience and a lot of work. I am used to cooking as a leisurely activity, but not a routine chore. Personally, I do not think cooking multiple small servings is an efficient thing to do, especially if you are only cooking for yourself. So, I refer cooking dishes in a quantity that would serve me 2 to 3 meals. It saves me time and gas. My meal preps are also done in advance so I know just how much rice I would be cooking and how many vegetables I would be using and so on. That way I know the exact quantity of onions and potatoes I have left or need to buy to last me another week.

 

Cooking every meal you eat is not hard if you plan it well. One more lesson for the lock down is, do not be picky with being served a fresh meal every single time. This is an emergency and we need to save resources including gas and electricity.

 

In case, you are looking some easy tasty dishes here is a link.

 

Hope everyone is healthy and safe.

 

Corona Diary 11: Breakfast naps…

I am privileged to be able to enjoy meals at home. Although I have always been thankful for the food I have been served, I have never really sat down to appreciate the fact that I have been constantly fed. These are two very different things that I have only now, come to realize.

 

Lately, breakfast has been my best meal of the day. Not just the size, but the opportunity to finish every item feels amazing. I have also discovered another fascinating thing, post-breakfast naps. Yup, they are a thing. Finish your food, walk around for some time, wash your dishes, stretch your arms and then just take a 15-minute nap. I know it sounds absurd to get up, have food and hop back in bed. But trust me, it helps me get through the day better.

 

I end up feeling so nice. It is one of those little pleasures of life. Hope you try it sometime too. Take care and stay safe!