PANDEMIC, AND THEREAFTER
March 2020. It was all over the news, Schools were shut indefinitely, Things started going downhill. Supermarkets were out of stocks, Panic was written all over.
But here we are, overcoming every hurdle that life threw at us mercilessly to date.
Even though none of us want to relive those times again, like it or not, it has taken a place in our lives, good, bad, and ugly.
But as they say, focus on the good and the good gets better.
And that’s what I learned to do. It was the simplest of things that I did not give much importance to or took for granted. I guess we all did. So I would like to share how I coped and am continuing amidst the uncertainty that we face every day. And hopefully, it will encourage you, also to be of some encouragement to others along the way.
Faith – Irrespective of religion, I believe this pandemic brought us all closer to our beliefs, faith in God, spending more and more time in prayers. For me personally, my faith in God helped me face all my fears and that definitely led me to have a more peaceful, calm time regardless of the terrible situations which I even saw right in front of my house. Trusting in God and His provisions helped me see no lack and helped me go forward continuing to help others in times of lack. Having a hopeful and peaceful mind helped me to kick down my fears and face the uncertainty with great strength.
Social Interaction – Everyone will resonate with me when I say our bonds with family and friends grew thicker this pandemic as we stood hand in hand walking together during grief and pain. Being both an introvert and an extrovert (depending on the situation) I don’t think it was a real challenge for me to stay home the whole time, it helped me get closer with my inner circle. This season also gave me the courage to detox myself from social networking sites. It was not easy as I did lose some people who could not understand why I chose to unfollow them, as to keep my serenity intact. But I did feel so relaxed as I did not allow myself to get influenced by all the beautiful, shiny, glimmery images of people’s lives. So glad I got to do this!! Detox from Social Media and spend time face to face!
We all want to be up on the mountain but hate taking the journey through the valley. Even though it is life in the valley that gives us the best adventures and life lessons.
I used to run away from such situations, always wanting to take shortcuts. But this pandemic did not give me that choice. But little did I realise there were so many blessings hidden even in that journey. I saw so many things come to pass, prayers were answered, joy was all around. I think that is how we learn to live.
We all look forward to the future, plan so much, even though we know our future is uncertain, but the fact that we do itself speaks volumes of our Faith and Hope in God who created us.
As the old classic teenager movie line goes – “We are all in this together”.
Let us continue to stand by each other, lean on each other, and walk together in this journey called LIFE.
By Ms. Namratha, Primary Teacher (Grades 1 and 3)
