Going novel to beat the novel virus

 Amidst the uncertainty and the pandemonium caused by the pandemic most of us are trying to maintain sanity by the aggressive usage of sanitizers (pun intended!). One thing is for sure. This outbreak has changed us and our lives for sure and how! The transition of the ever-so-careless dudes to OCD-ic individuals with streaks of paranoia has occurred at an unbelievable pace.  While the frenzy continues all across the globe, the outbreak continues to breed dire consequences. And like most of you, yours truly is also a proud adherer to social distancing which has become the global norm.  Not that I had to persevere myself much to do that (I’m sure the nursing mothers would second).

But I must admit that this whole stay-at-home development has made us say hi to a novel side of ours. Here’s what I’ve done/felt/observed in these days: (Switching to bullet points cuz I’m a sucker for bullets and I can digress from north to south and not feel sorry about it!)

• Days before Baby N was supposed to arrive, Mr V had ordered a compact easily foldable Scrabble board from Amazon cuz apparently some thread on “babycenter.com” convinced him it’s the best game to play while in labor. Neither did we remember to pack it nor did I have an easy labor (but let’s not get into that now!) This was neatly stashed away in one of the discreet corners of our cupboards till it made its debut a couple of days back.

• I picked up the phone and spoke to a handful of my dear ones. I do not remember the last time my call log featured more than 5 calls in a row in a day. As the case with most of you, my conversations with them are mostly limited to notes behind a screen.   

• My friend tells me I need to grab a pen and brush up my writing skills. I laugh to myself thinking about how outrageously impossible it sounds, considering the fact that I’m mommying a baby who is hard to please and easily bored . Not only did I dismiss the thought, but I did not think I’d ponder over it anytime soon. In the wee hours of morning I usually wake up with a jolt listening to the baby’s wail but this time his bawling gave rise to lyrical verses in my head. I dared not to switch on the light lest he gets excited and fully awake thinking its morning. But well…I could almost hear writer’s block yelling “Adios Amigo”

•       I’ve never been an outdoorsy person. In the athletic sense, that is. Of course I love traveling and selective adventures but indulging in sports has never been my cup of tea. Mr V coaxed me into playing badminton with him despite me trying to run away from the idea constantly. After being literally dragged before the net (he did not give up even after I hid the rackets) I had to cave in. For the first time in my life after a majorly failed attempt in high school times, I played badminton.  And I actually enjoyed it! It’s a different story that I cannot still serve or bat to save my life but then who’s judging here? :D

•      So we’ve been asked to maintain social distancing and stay at home and all that. Though logically speaking a long drive violates the latter endeavor, I do not think it would hurt provided you stay in your car with your windows up. Oh and in case you’re hungry like me all the time please remember to carry your own munchies and chai!

• Mr V becomes a Tiktoker and I do not know whether I should laugh or cry about it. I call it the “lockdown effect” but he says he’s always had it in him! Well if joining a new social platform helps him keep his distance socially and from being at his wit’s end, then who’s whining?

Jokes apart, as India observes Janta curfew today and a lot of other countries embrace commercial lockdown I sincerely hope people do their bit by staying at home. One needs to understand that an infected person has the potential to transmit the virus to upto five people. So you can imagine the damage it can cause in a big-picture perspective. Never has the quote “One person can change the world” made more sense. This is the time we can actually change the world by staying at home or sitting six feet away from people...in short, by not moving a muscle! So let’s be sensible and follow the guidelines enlisted by the health officials and government. While social distancing and regularly washing/sanitizing your hands, remember to also disinfect your phones efficiently as this is one screen surface we’re constantly in touch with.

On a lighter note, here’s something I made this morning to drift away from the whole corona scare. I wanted to place a magnifying lens zooming into germs on Ashton’s palm but just like how essential commodity prices have seen exorbitant soars in the market, the design tool has made their otherwise free images of “germs” premium! Reminds me of the good old proverb in Malayalam – “Naad odumbol naduve” which roughly translates to go with the flow.

 PS The whole reason I decided to write this post was cuz while driving past the public beach, I happened to see a gang of guys playing football in front of a “Keep 2m distance” signage. Got me thinking about the civic sense of the community. I really hope each one understands the capacity of this virus to exponentially spread and thus urgently practice physical distancing. 

With the curfew underway, here’s what you can do:

·       Get into your pajamas

·       Read those long abandoned books

·       Do some baking! (I need to do this!)

·       Write gratitude journals (this is the best time to be thankful and in case you’re a Christian, embrace the Lenten season values!)

·       Get virtually social to your heart’s content

Basically, do all those things you’ve procrastinated all your lives! Stay safe and aware, folks!