Two weeks. That’s how long it has been. If I were to log in everything that we had done during the period, without being overly conscious of the nationwide quarantine, my list of things to do would have to run along the lines of the comprehensive breakdown of meals per day that my partner had prepared for us for that duration (that’s including snacks folkies).
For this fam, every chore that we have listed as to-dos, has got to revolve around the meals we take. Whatever activity, be it the 6am exercises, alone time, office work (at home) or prayer time, our main meals, consisting of brekkie, lunch and dinner, are marked as the only moments in the day when we are all together at one table.
Mostly during the rest of the hours of the day, the three of us would be doing our own thing, or chores. Of course, as meal time also comes with its pre, proper and post phases, we would also have separate assignments at food prep, table setting, and then taking turns at cleaning and doing the dishes afterwards. For me, that is translated into cleaning and cutting the veggies, fish or meat, then little cooking, and washing the pots and pans after all else is done.
As this family routine had been in place long before the big Q, it had become almost second nature. So when the ‘StayHome’ directive finally came down, we merely treated it as just another everyday thing.
The only difference in all these, of course is the locked-up sensation that everyone is feeling at the moment. A majority of online posts and tweets especially among the young, cover about fifty shades of boredom, and this does not even include many entertaining posts mostly put out by friends. Nevertheless, all these, both negative and otherwise still flow out to the internet sea.
While many may be boredom-based, they indeed need not be so. For one, the time to learn new things online is always just a fingertip away, if one chose to. With the stay at home call, everyone has a lot of time to spend. I have seen noteworthy posts that, instead of feeding at the prevailing fear, send out messages that reach out and inspire readers in these dark times. Thing is, we need more of this positive vibe, which we can then always add to other existing routines that we have already in our list of to-dos.
Speaking of routines, it really goes without saying that having them can keep one sane during these locked-up moments. How one goes about the hours and then survive till the end of the day will depend largely on the overall regimen that we have set before us. Without any plan in place, the feeling of boredom will indeed be just one step away from where you are.
During the past two weeks, I have spent (or wasted?) my alone time watching all the pandemic films there is, then later switching to zombie movies, UFO flicks, documentaries, and finally spaghetti westerns. Not that they have done any real good, but just to use up the moments rationed to me. By the time it came to food prep moments or cleaning, whatever, my mind was fresher and ready to welcome what tasks were before me. Before you know it, you’ve gone the whole day true to sched and ready to do it again tomorrow.
In the end, it is not that bad. Just think, by staying home, you are staying safe, and by being so, you are actually saving others as well, especially your vulnerable immediate and elder family members. In turn, you save your community, all our heroic front-liners, and then last, in your own stay-at-home little world, you get to save the bigger world. Salute!
