Like many others, I too made resolutions for the coming year 2020 – eating healthy food, practicing yoga and meditation, developing a balanced exercise plan, etc. In short, I wanted to improve upon something or the other but little did I know that the year 2020 rather had some other plans in store for us! The novel coronavirus has been recognised as the most destructive pandemic in the history of mankind, gripping the entire world in its fear and fatality. It has revealed that the fight for survival can make us easily lock ourselves up from the world, both physically and emotionally.
Since every bad situation has some good aspects to it, we must keep all the negativity aside for a while and look on the bright side of the coronavirus pandemic too. Here are a few lessons that novel corona virus taught me:
1) Spending more quality time with family: Often, we are juggling between completing targets in a world of ‘cut-throat-competition’ that we forget to spend some quality time with our family. I missed the love that was overdue and somewhere needed badly!
2) Finding time for hobbies: Lockdown has helped us revive our forgotten hobbies and passions much to our delight. It may be reading books or writing articles or drawing pictures, trying our hands on cooking, etc.
3) Life is precious: We have understood the value of our and others’ lives and how each moment is a blessing denied to many.
4) Importance of slowing down: In spite of the negative impact of the crisis, the lockdown has certainly implemented a sense of patience in all of us. In fact, being able to slow down from time to time makes us stronger. It helps us fight off mental and physical health conditions and ultimately enables us to lead a better life.
5) No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: There is always a ray of hope even in dark times. This makes hope especially important for those who’ve been subjected to the virus itself or are taking care of loved ones with the disease.
6) The power of adaptability: The lockdown has forced us to adapt to a completely new way of living. In times like these, it’s important to pause and remind ourselves that we have already adapted to a huge change once, and we can do it again. We are more flexible than we thought.
7) Practice Gratitude: I’ve realised the value of gratitude now more than ever, especially for things and people whom we typically take for granted in our lives.
8) When we protect nature, nature protects us: Ever since lockdown came into implementation, we have witnessed less pollution and clear blue skies in ages! Not just that, the AQI improved tremendously for months and we inhaled fresh, pollution-free air in the longest time!
As a teacher in DPS School in Ghaziabad, this lockdown comes with a responsibility. While the lockdown has certainly been a period of learning and lessons, it has also been a scary and overwhelming experience for a lot of us. It has also given us time to ponder upon, reflect on, and start valuing what really matters in life the most!
~Ruchi Dobhal
