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My friend and I were talking a few days back that its been 6 whole months since we last stepped into office- March 16th it was. It seems unbelievable the things each one of us have gone through. Something we had never envisioned for ourselves ever.
From the initial days of being plunged into a strict lockdown where we struggled to get enough supplies of things like meat, chips, candies for the daughter (yes these are not essential supplies but have becomes such an integral part of our life) to No Amazon, Myntra, Liscious, Zomato. We struggled to bear the scorching summer heat in Pune which was extraordinarily warm this year and we weren’t able to buy an air conditioner. Phew.. this was one summer that had us soaked to the skin, never seen this in the past 4 years.

Things seems better as time passed by. One was the gradual recovery from the initial state of shock that this is indeed going to stay. Second was the slow opening of the economy and being able to get stuff online, replenish our stocks and the third was finding our silver lining.

When things are beyond your control, the best you can do is accept it and find something to motivate you despite the bleak situation.

For me this discovery was focusing on my fitness regimen. While I was hitting the gym a year before corona 3-4 times a week, it was nowhere close the fervor that has gripped me post Corona. Working out for the past 1 month for a minimum of 30 minutes per day without a beak, being conscious of my steps per day , ensuring I stand up and walk enough between office calls, its all been rather motivating. My fitness watch which I gifted myself on my birthday gleams at me egging me on- “close your rings each day, complete 10K steps, you have sat too long-get up and move, take a moment to focus on your breathing”. It wasn’t an indulgent purchase, in fact I had taken time to cultivate my new habits before I splurged on a fitness watch and it proved worth it, every penny of it.

Having a fitness enthusiast in the family keeps you perked up and for me this was my mom. IN fact the one who encouraged me to start my fitness journey and made me realize that rather than being slim or ok with a medium body structure what matters is how fit and strong you are. And I am eternally grateful to her for this lifelong gift.

Books have been a solace through these hard times and more than my own reading which has been at a slower pace, its Angel who has amazed me. She was used to her dose of Spot Dog, Peppa Pig, Tania’s Tales, Julia Donaldson. I thought “Famous Five” and the rest is too early to start. But I bought the first book on a whim and she took to it like fish it water. We then bough the entire set of “The Naughtiest Girl in School” and we are on Book 10, she has been enthralled with Elizabeth Allen’s adventures and cant have enough of them. We also read a lovely book by an Indian author on “Why is my hair curly” and Angel was only to happy to post her book review by way of a video recording!

I splurged on interiors- first priority post the lockdown being lifted was getting myself a good home office and boy it was worth it! When you spend 10-11 hours in front of the screen, a god monitor, a comfy chair make it less stressful for the body. And Angel loves her online classes on the big screen.

I also bought some nice interior stuff to add to the décor of the house which gives us all a “Happy” feeling.

And nothing more comforting than some good food , something we all love in the family. Maki rolls have been our favorite and cupcakes as well. Though we eat moderately, we love eating well!

Chats and calls with friends especially in these times when you cant see each other and a few of them are going through tough times with the virus infecting them or their loved ones, it has been heartening to just talk and be around.

Its also made me realize, your life can crumble in a fraction of a second, and you can do nothing about it at times- the best you can do is pray for your loved ones and hope while this pandemic lasts, we can all find strength to overcome our inner demons, discover hidden joys , savor these moments by looking at them not just as a forced confinement but some precious time we have been given to spend with people we love and do things we would never otherwise find time to do. It would be an understatement to say that any of us would come out of this unscathed, but what it would leave us with is hopefully a new way of looking at life, being grateful for what we have and living in the moment for we don’t know what’s in store and we as mortals have little control over it., learning to live a sustainable life, taking care of our bodies and minds and above all knowing that there is a force greater than man who pulls the strings.