What can Corona teach us?

For most of the countries in the world with sanity, the only option to fight with the evil of this size which comes from a piddly virus called #Corona is social distancing a.k.a lock-down.

#Lockdown, now who likes this word? No one, as it is a forced option for us by the law of land, but isn’t this what many of us on a regular Monday morning want? Social distancing, and that is to be at home cosying up in the bed and playing cuddles with alarm clock (you can change your cuddle partner).

So instead of battling with the limitation of choices we have today and making it tough for ourselves. I suggest we should make the most of it by fulfilling all the promises we made to ourselves during those days when we were free birds. Now you may want to question yourselves were you really free during our morning to evening office shifts? Keep this in the back of your mind for now and lets move ahead.

Let’s get started on the list of promises we might have made. I am highlighting a day with 7 am start and how we can make it count for ourselves and people around us.

That one hour between waking up and opening the car door to leave for work. Other than the regular motions of morning you still have about 30 mins of extra time at your disposal. So, should we do some squats, push-ups and yoga (yeah, the very same thing which that hot girl in yoga pants does in that #Instagram/ Tik Tok post). And in case exercise is not your thing then be a hero and finish your partners share of house work, chances for morning quickie will increase by 50%.

Travel time investment — remember those eggs Benedict you had on your last visit to a luxury hotel when your company sent you to crack that deal in Europe? (don’t sulk that your company never sends you beyond Pune in India. In my experience some star hotels do a decent job of it here too which you might have liked. So, don’t wait wear your apron and hit the flame baby to repeat that taste today. And, just in case eggs is not your cup of tea then let’s do Idli ( steamed rice cake in India) as long as you learn to flame the burner. We should learn to cook up something different everyday and do it for the audience that is our family which loves us the most and will hug the cook no matter if idli Benedict was hard.

Let’s break the Taboo– now here comes the WFH ( well once your first fight with why the Fuck I am here for WFH is over and you accept it as Work From Home, go about setting your desk and choose that corner of your house where you spend the least time during the regular days. Get to know your home a little better. It is our chance to show our employers in India that we can be trusted upon to work from home, lets break the taboo for our organisations which are struggling with trust deficit on WFH if there is no #Covid19. This can be a boon for us; though I don’t wish for any Corona attacks in the future, but you never know when you need it.

What is for lunch — enjoy these days for this ultra-luxury of having hot lunch at home with your family and don’t you dare touching your digital companion. Get a bonus chance to do the utensils after lunch, remember you don’t like exercising.

Oh, my Siesta — fulfill this dream of catching up on siesta on weekdays (mind you don’t confuse it with sister as you cannot meet her, remember its #lockdown phase). Do respect your employers who are paying you to be sleeping in the afternoon, so keep it short and get back to WFH.

You miss the tea or the buzz around? That all of a sudden many life wake up to live once again? We get it, you can’t see through your glass cubicle or feel the movement outside your frosted cabins because, guess what? Its lockdown and you are at home. Move your ass and make some tea for yourself and your partner and do check if its pakora ( nuggets)or the sandwich evening today.

Time to leave — for some the heart is getting heavier as they have to go to home and won’t see that secretary or that female boss and for some its 12-hour exile from that guy in marketing department. Viola, you are in for luck, just step out from your #WFH zone and meet the person of your dreams (no point repenting that dream) in the comfort of your home.

Travelling again, congratulations you have saved another 60 mins of travel time today, invest this in your kids, play with them, teach them something or learn something from them, do you remember when was the last time on Monday evening you did this? For the ones without kids use this hour to read, listen to music, do yoga, or manage your plants or go out for walk with your pet. Trust me these are seemingly small luxuries but we are poor to afford these on regular basis.

Cook up some storm, in the kitchen with your partner. Eh you know what I mean? It’s your chance to speak that you don’t want this for dinner and make what you want. Pour some wine and do light up some candles may be once in 10 days (it’s absolutely alright you can do more frequently as I get it you are a new chef and burned the food).

After this long and hard day you have earned your idiot box time. Set the lights for right mood, switch on the TV, connect the soundbar and with due respect handover remote control to your wife.

Somethings don’t change and we should not try changing them too. For the rest, Nature has a way to bring about balance.

Don’t let these tough times crack you, be the live wire and make the most of it. As they say Chinese things don’t last long and this too shall pass soon.