My Days In Quarantine
While many are battling lives as they suffer from COVID-19, many are risking their lives to combat this virus’ spread and yet there are several like us who are having another rendezvous with life under an imposed lockdown, coercing us to count our blessings.
Last week I spoke about working from home during the quarantine. Now, I’m going to share how I have been managing things on the personal front during this imposed lockdown.
QUALITY TIME WITH MY CHILDREN
I would often think how if I had more time, I’d tell my children this or that, show them a fun science experiment, play board games or read stories with life lessons etc. This extra time at home is certainly helping me do that. I’ve always wanted to help my children see things around us from an experiential point of view – a non-textbook approach.
Even having meals together with the whole family on dining table has been a great bonding exercise for all of us. Hence, I ensure that I dedicate at least 1 hour in the day where I engage with my children in a productive way. I plan to continue this habit even after the lockdown is lifted.
LISTENING TO MY PARENTS
At our parent's age, all one needs is companionship. Someone to listen to their tales of experience, their learnings from life and things only you learn from experience. During the past few days, I have tried to spend quality time with my parents too.
Listening to them always gives me ideas to solve work and life problems. It has also been a good way to assure them of my presence, support and care during the most insecure years of human life.
REVISITING LIFE’S TRADITIONAL VALUES
It feels like life is coming a full circle when you realise the importance of all the things you were taught during childhood coming back to save you. Wash your hands properly before every meal, leave your shoes outside the house, maintain personal hygiene, maintain social hygiene, fold your hands when you meet and greet someone, always show gratitude for the life you have, stick to a vegetarian diet and thank God for everything – some of the basic principles of Jainism reiterated several times during my upbringing has become the base of our safety, when all our institutions are struggling to keep the world together.
To make your quarantine days worth your while, try and think these days as getting back the summer holidays that we used to enjoy as children. Remember how we tell our kids to have discipline and a routine even during their vacation – we need to have the same and you will see that you are able to do a lot of things you thought you would do only if you had some time to spare.
For some of us, it truly is the time to count our blessings and make it worth it!