April Flu!

As I watched people bang vessels, while washing mine, mopped the floor while waiting for the Sensex to please find one(!), and swept rooms while the lockdown enforced some sweeping changes, I also tried to step back and take a look – outwards and inwards – at what’s happening! (read till the end for a little trick)

1. New routine, new connections, new perspectives, it’s as if you woke up one day and the cast and scenes have changed! I started tweeting more than once a week, and am now reading less because I am down to my last 2 books. I might be forced to use that Kindle soon, or worse, read my “heavy” “retirement books”.
2. Old connections don’t just go away though, especially in the era of Whatsapp. Groups get made, good morning messages, motivational quotes, old photos, wars fought over fake news, exit. Rinse, repeat. Not to forget, Zoom bonding. Have to wonder, didn’t video calls exist before this? Or is it that people have more time? Special mention to an old friend - Maggi!
3. Recreation without malls, eating out, and vacations. It’s tough enough for adults, even though OTT provides content in abundance. If there are kids in your life, sigh. But the good news, new interests are being developed, there’s a lot of creativity, and hobbies are back!
4. Make do! When you’re making your own food out of groceries that took a lifetime to find and then washing the vessels yourself, when you don’t have help to ensure the house remains clean, when you have to do your own laundry, you learn to make do!
5. Acceptance that there has been a clear break from regular programming. That normal is a while away. That in fact, it hasn’t even been defined yet. But life does have to go on. As I have said before, when dealing with shit, remember, this stool shall pass!
6. Learning new ways of coping, new routines for old tasks, new ways to interact, new methods to achieve desired results, new skills, new hobbies, new recipes for success at work and at home. Learning how to learn in the 40s!
7. Introspection on what is actually important to you and yours. About your needs and your wants. About what makes you tick, and what really ticks you off. About the things you didn’t know and the things you thought you knew. About yourself and how you deal with the world.
8. Scenario Planning. Because there are many directions life can take from here. As the virus has shown, a disruption is just a breath away. And we haven’t even seen the second and third order consequences yet. How best can one optimise for optionality?
9. Empathy. Much of the above is a reflection of a privileged life. And it’s not just about class differences, there are people struggling to manage WFH because they have to manage their dependents too. And no, it’s not the same, I know. But I have to do more.
10. De-clutter. The understanding of self, expectations, and the realisation of what’s important and what’s not, will likely have an effect on one’s outlook. This will lead to changes, some big, some small. Kondo minimum!

And at the end of it all, one realises that the first letters of the 10 points is all that’s happening.