(Thank You Gabrial Marquez for your memorable stories and awe-inspiring titles. Dear Reader, No brownie points for guessing which book title I have drawn inspiration from)
The year 2020 unfolded before us with a lot of unprecedented twists and turns, throwing us into a sea of unanticipated challenges, brought about by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Apart from a macroeconomic effect, it had profoundly impacted the regular lives of working professionals. Being a working professional, and a first-time mom, I found myself struggling to keep a sane balance between personal and professional commitments. At some point, I realized that it's impacting the emotional happiness of my entire family.
Days got stretched, responsibilities got added up, sleepless nights & late meals, lack of social interactions- all became a routine. Few months of being indoors, without any social interaction during lockdown, was akin to One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Finding solace in nature
To address these issues, like many of our peers, I decided to spend the lockdown time in our hometown, closer to our folks. And boy, that was one of the best decisions we made in the recent past!
Moving to Kerala, near to our extended family relaxed and rejuvenated us in many ways. We got more support to take care of our super naughty bub, while we could devote our attention and time to our work.
For the baby it meant, she could spend more time with her grandparents and cousins, run behind her furry friends who came-by to say hi or chase the squirrels -rather than living inside a cramped flat back in Bangalore.
My little one asking me to take a break and covering up for me ( Disclaimer: No office resources were harmed during this stunt 😀 )
Also, working from my village, amidst the lush green trees, has been calming to the mind and body. I have time to pause and embrace the moment. I feel that being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, has led to a significant improvement in my enthusiasm and productivity.
Having spent a considerable amount of my life in Delhi and Bangalore, the past few months in Kerala have been a memorable and rejuvenating experience for me. Had only read about those mornings where one would wake up to sweet sound of the cuckoos, and soak up spectacular views of monsoon-drenched trees. And here I am experiencing them all!
What a refreshing view to wake upto.
Work from home during these times came as a blessing in disguise for a first-time mom in me. Although initially, it was overwhelming for me with too much on my plate, now with time and more discipline, I have started liking the “new normal”.
It greatly helped me fulfil personal and professional commitments without any guilt. While it gave me ample time to grasp and implement new learnings at the work front, it also helped me be “the” significant part of my baby’s crucial developing years.
This new norm of remote working also saw us finding time for reviving and exploring our long-lost passion. Me and my husband took turns to cook something interesting every Friday evening, to switch to the weekend mood. We also managed to spend time to grow some organic vegetables in our backyard in this duration – a hobby which would have just remained in my wish list, back in Bangalore.
This lockdown has taught me to be grateful for things we have within our reach. In a nutshell, I am loving this new normal. Isn’t this what we always wanted to achieve in life: Being able to chase our dreams, while also being closer to our loved ones?
I am learning to embrace these moments and enjoy them to the fullest. If you are feeling burnt out by the current scenarios, just look at how refreshing a change this is, from pre-corona days: The way one would wake up and head to the office, and hustle back and regret being unable to spend time with the family. You always wanted to cut down on your travel time and come back home early or save on your fuel or transportation costs.
And now you are achieving all this from the comfort of your home! Do not take this additional responsibility as a task, rather try to enjoy it in your own way. Stay Safe Stay Healthy!
