IT’S THE SMALL THINGS
Alex M. Eduque
One week down, and pending any extension, another week to go. For the most part, we are riding along with the imposed lockdown, and the need to do so amidst the Delta variant and rising cases is understandable. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that we too have our moments of frustration, exacerbated further by idle time and boredom. These days though need to be lived with an extra dose of understanding for the situation, and acceptance of the world we live in, and the decision of the leadership we have elected. In an attempt to lessen the traumatic jolt the letters E-C-Q bring when strung together, here is an alternative mnemonic for Enhanced Community Quarantine.
E – for extra effort. Now more than ever, we need to make the extra effort to be understanding – of the situation, of others, and their different coping mechanisms, and the fact that everyone is trying their best to live everyday the best we can, given the circumstances. We need to make the extra effort to count our blessings, to stay vigilant not only for our sake, but for that of our family, household, and extended community. Which leads me to the next letter, C…
C – for community and consciousness. If there is something this pandemic has awakened me to, it is the impact of community in our daily lives, and our role as stakeholders in our respective communities. Our actions – conscious or negligent – in fact have a greater impact on others than we tend to consciously think about or recognize, and knowing this, we should always err on the side of caution, and safety for the greater good of all. Our social consciousness has not only been tested to full capacity, we hopefully have also become more aware – of our role as citizens to abide, and help out, of the reality of COVID-19, and of the extra blessings that comfort is in our lives. Good health, and being in the presence of our loved ones, a job, a steady source of income, and food on the table, after all essentially, is enough to get us by.
And lastly, Q for quota – at some point, and on some days more than others, we feel like we have reached our tipping point. As the famous expression goes, “quota na.” And though this goes directly against the need for extra understanding, it is normal for us as human beings to loose our patience, and become fed up at some point. We have the natural tendency to complain and point out the wrongs, but we must always remember on those hard days that we too have the choice to see what is going right. It is unnatural to be happy one hundred percent of the time, yes, but we can definitely choose to work towards keeping a positive disposition and perspective to keep ourselves from reaching quota and burning out fast. There is most definitely a healthy way to overcome.
If there is something we have all innately built up unconsciously or not in the past year, it is resilience, and grit. And if only for being able to walk out of this whole ordeal a stronger person, we must already, and continue to be grateful.
Alex M. Eduque
One week down, and pending any extension, another week to go. For the most part, we are riding along with the imposed lockdown, and the need to do so amidst the Delta variant and rising cases is understandable. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that we too have our moments of frustration, exacerbated further by idle time and boredom. These days though need to be lived with an extra dose of understanding for the situation, and acceptance of the world we live in, and the decision of the leadership we have elected. In an attempt to lessen the traumatic jolt the letters E-C-Q bring when strung together, here is an alternative mnemonic for Enhanced Community Quarantine.
E – for extra effort. Now more than ever, we need to make the extra effort to be understanding – of the situation, of others, and their different coping mechanisms, and the fact that everyone is trying their best to live everyday the best we can, given the circumstances. We need to make the extra effort to count our blessings, to stay vigilant not only for our sake, but for that of our family, household, and extended community. Which leads me to the next letter, C…
C – for community and consciousness. If there is something this pandemic has awakened me to, it is the impact of community in our daily lives, and our role as stakeholders in our respective communities. Our actions – conscious or negligent – in fact have a greater impact on others than we tend to consciously think about or recognize, and knowing this, we should always err on the side of caution, and safety for the greater good of all. Our social consciousness has not only been tested to full capacity, we hopefully have also become more aware – of our role as citizens to abide, and help out, of the reality of COVID-19, and of the extra blessings that comfort is in our lives. Good health, and being in the presence of our loved ones, a job, a steady source of income, and food on the table, after all essentially, is enough to get us by.
And lastly, Q for quota – at some point, and on some days more than others, we feel like we have reached our tipping point. As the famous expression goes, “quota na.” And though this goes directly against the need for extra understanding, it is normal for us as human beings to loose our patience, and become fed up at some point. We have the natural tendency to complain and point out the wrongs, but we must always remember on those hard days that we too have the choice to see what is going right. It is unnatural to be happy one hundred percent of the time, yes, but we can definitely choose to work towards keeping a positive disposition and perspective to keep ourselves from reaching quota and burning out fast. There is most definitely a healthy way to overcome.
If there is something we have all innately built up unconsciously or not in the past year, it is resilience, and grit. And if only for being able to walk out of this whole ordeal a stronger person, we must already, and continue to be grateful.