IT’S THE SMALL THINGS
Alex M. Eduque
Just when we thought the world has started to slowly re-open, and as economies are trudging to recover, news that cities such as Madrid in Spain is back on some sort of modified lockdown, and that the president of the United States Donald Trump and his first lady Melania tested positive for coronavirus hit the news. Meanwhile, we in the Philippines are still under various stages of community quarantine. We try to live life as normally as we possibly can with every bit of extra caution. Yet, in the back of our minds, undeniably, is the looming thought of will this ever come to an end?
Will it? Or will we just, at some point, all develop an immunity, and learn to live with the virus as part of our lives? These are questions that remain unanswered, and that, I suppose, continue to perpetuate the corona coaster of emotions that heighten the anxiety within us. While much has changed since the onset of lockdown in March, much has also remained the same. No matter what corner of the globe we may find ourselves in, we have gone through waves of changes – through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, contemplation and over-thinking, on-edge moments and the celebration of small victories in the past couple of months. But if there is something I have come to realize, it is that life goes on. We can only take a pause for so long. At some point, we move forward and no matter where we may find ourselves, and how we choose to spend our days, the clock keeps on ticking, and with that, so must our lives.
The way we choose to live life now, and our every day is different from what it used to be. This “new normal” as it has been dubbed has either brought about the slightest to the starkest of differences in our everyday actions, decisions, and routines. From our courageous frontliners who have never been busier and more at risk than they are now, to those who now find themselves working and doing everything from home. And then there are those who have either sadly been retrenched, or have found themselves jobless for one reason or another. Home-based businesses have taken off like no other, and we now heavily rely on delivery services. A lot of transactions are now contactless, and we are somehow forced to plan our days better. Whatever the case may be, we have been pushed to evolve in one way or another.
That is the silver lining I have chosen to seek out of this pandemic – the growth we have all gone through at some point. Whether or not we were forced through the transformation or not, the fact that we have kept our sanity intact is already an achievement, and whatever progress we have made in terms of facing our fears is something we should be proud of. If there is one thing this pandemic has taught me, it is to celebrate even the smallest steps forward. It is a time when it is excusable, even acceptable, to fall into a downward spiral, so any step up is worthy of recognition. Anytime you catch yourself questioning and doubting, condition yourself to seek the silver lining. After all, “The darkest nights produce the brightest stars” (John Green).