IT’S THE SMALL THINGS
Sixteen weeks later, and I feel like a sense of normalcy (if we can even call it that) in terms of human behavior, despite the climbing number of cases, is crawling back into our lives. While it will take a while for things to return to how we knew it (if it ever really will), life has resumed and is no longer on pause. Businesses have slowly opened up (albeit at limited capacity) and operations have resumed. That being said, the impact and burden that COVID-19 has brought about is far from leaving our shores, and has clearly plagued the world. And as we attempt to re-open while keeping safety, mitigating the virus spread and optimum health at top priority, we must continue to be vigilant and remember that the virus still lingers.
Life before COVID-19 almost knew no bounds nor boundaries. There were many days I could barely sit leisurely to catch my breath. My days were jampacked full, and my schedule was back to back to back to back. It was fashionable, I suppose, then, to over exhaust and spread oneself so thinly because the modern day “superwoman” was a multi-tasker, who wore many hats, and could “do it all.” So much so, that when I was finally forced to stay home and rest, a surge of panic came upon me as I looked for ways to consume my minutes wisely. It was almost a sin to be doing nothing. It was not until I learned to relish in the slow days and embrace the halt that I found contentment. Perhaps I was one of the ones who severely needed that rest as a wake-up call because I was unconsciously dipping my feet into everything.
These days, I would not say that life is quite the opposite. In fact, now that the pace is starting to pick up again, there are moments I feel like I have returned to normalcy completely, albeit working from home. The pause made me realize the importance of quality over quantity – in the way we choose to spend our time, with friends and friendships, and in our decisions. How much we choose to involve ourselves with the world, with a project, or with any task at hand, I have come to realize, matters when we choose to approach it with more depth. It brings about a meaning in our actions, and that is what matters. The quantity of posts on social media are worthless in retrospect if in fact one is posting for the sake of posting. Redundancy and repetitiveness do not thrive in a world where substance is appreciated and valued. That is what lockdown has taught me. For these small learnings, I will always be grateful.
As a person who heavily depended on my planner and writing everything down, having no agenda of any sort for almost two months was, I will admit, somewhat refreshing. It gifted me with the leisure of time to appreciate the smallest of things around me. It has turned me into a hermit of sorts, and this new world has me thinking twice, really, before stepping out. While in the past any excuse I would have to leave the house I would, these days, I have come to enjoy the comforts of home. So much so, that in rare occasions that I do step out, it takes so much more time and effort to dress up and look presentable. And on those days that I do have errands to run that require and leave me no choice but to step out, I try to schedule everything so it is all in one day. Efficiency is key these days, and getting everything done all at once to minimize exposure. These days is all about the athleisure wardrobe, and the shift dresses. The tee shirts and the shorts. It is all about faking the formalities in terms of outfits by wearing a blazer on zoom, because board meetings these days are attended barefoot, and in the comforts of our homes.
I do know though that slowly but surely, everyone is going to step out of their homes, one at a time, and before we know it, we will be living life as we once knew it. Except this time around, I know better – that it is worthless to be too hard on yourself. That slow days are just as valuable as one where you are running around like a headless chicken – In fact, they may even count more. That taking a break is good for your well-being. And that God never gives you more than you can bear and battle.