Initially everyone was looking at the lockdown as temporary measure and were enjoying it like a forced family vacation time. But the longer it has dragged on (107*days), the feeling of being cooped up has reinforced a terrible lethargy over all of us. I am immensely grateful for having a fantastic internet connection to binge on internet shows and keeping in touch with my circle of loved ones.

I have been having conversations on phone and WA with friends and family around the world and the differing takes of the Covid situation is mind boggling. While Australia has opened up and wearing a mask is not mandatory there ; US decided to holiday in Florida as soon as the lockdown was eased, resulting in a huge rise in number of cases. Now UK is struggling with cases amongst schoolchildren as they had opened up schools there. Brazil is drowning in the covid quagmire and is probably one of the worst hit nations.

Numbers in India too have become staggering but the good news is that the rate of recovery is still higher than mortality. In fact if you look at the number of patients discharged, it puts a slightly different spin on the epidemic. The higher number of cases has also resulted in medical staff being able to deduce more about the virus. Now mild cases are easily being treated at home without any panic of sorts.

“When things go wrong, don’t go with them. ” – Elvis Presley  

♥ During the initial days of lockdown, there was huge panic over a couple of cases in my township. Now there is a case in one of the towers of my apartment block and everyone was seen sending helpful and reassuring messages to the family. I guess the silver lining has finally arrived in a small dose though we have a long way to go still.♥

♥ Another positive news was the way migrant labour were being helped by various individuals and organisations to reach home. Many food stations and distribution drives have been setup by the Michelin star Chef Vikas Khanna. Actor Sonu Sood helped out thousands of stranded people and continues to do so. Following all this news on twitter has been my go to in these depressing times. ♥

♥ My closest cousin’s dad passed away and she left her dog with me as they had to rush to Jaipur for final rites. Having this little furball around made me realise how lonely the lockdown as been for me. This adorable guy would smooch over this way near me and then put his nose into my palm to get me to pet him. Thanks to him, I stepped out for mini walks around the day and spotted so many flowers and other gorgeous sights around me. It’s because of him that I got into a sort of regular routine too and am grateful for that.♥

“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx

♥ Stepping out for short evening walks has been one of the best things that I have gotten into this month. The persistent lockdown had made me very lethargic, encouraging my giving into procrastination all the time. Since I stopped walking, I had stopped taking pics of nature which I would put up on my instagram. Now that’s started again and I am feeling so good about it.♥

In fact I had joined in a book Instagram too but my book shelf has been a mess since some time now and hunting for books has been a task. I join in randomly and have kept the flow going off and on.

♥ I spotted this lovely bush laden with the gorgeous white blooms of jasmine on one of my evening walks and was thrilled to see the abundance on it. In the park I spotted the double jasmine and sneaked off a few buds to drop into a bowl of water by my bedside. The entire room was instantly perfumed with its exotic fragrance.♥

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♥ A very kind and friendly neighbor in the building has been keeping in touch with me all throughout the lockdown as she felt it’s important for us single gals to look out for each other. Her kids were over for sometime and since she was cooking up a storm for them, she began to send goodies to me too. So very grateful for having her in my circle of friends. She has been a very resourceful source for all sorts of delivery and service numbers too. At her suggestion, I finally left home to go to a supermarket with her and shopped for much needed ingredients after months. Thankful to her for driving me and helping me chose from a new brand of frozen non veg food products. Now I will have loads of yummy in my tummy 😉 ♥

♥ I had been randomly stepping down to start my car in the mornings to keep it ship shape. But somehow the self has conked off and now I need mechanical help with it. Thanks to my Spider-Man neighbor, I have the number of someone who will be able to help out. Fingers crossed.♥

♥ I had joined yoga classes on zoom but just didn’t get around to warming up to them as the routine were boring and the connection inconsistent. Thanks to CULT bringing out very innovative routine, schedules and pricing plans; I am back to fitness after a long time.♥

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

♥ I decided to call my maid for a couple of days a week as the dirty house was now getting on my nerves. So very grateful for her eagerness to come and work for me. She has finally got a booking to go back to her village and has assured me she will come for as long as she is still here. We worked out some precautions and it’s been a great help to have the dusting and mopping done daily. Now I intend to hire someone to come in every third day in the week for just these two chores. Still doing the rest on my own as that’s manageable.♥

Getting the maid and stepping out to the supermarket made me realize how we can actually live around this pandemic. If only we could all apply a little bit of common sense towards sanitizing our hands and keeping a social distance. Now a Japanese drug is being said to help out in the severe cases even as several other pharma companies are searching for cures. One can only keep the faith and hope for a brighter future ahead.

I have made a list of things I need to get back into my routine and adding them one at a time, so as to not overwhelm myself. Fingers crossed that I manage to stick to them now.

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How have you fared in this lock down phase? What have you been up to, other than the household chores?

Joining up with Vidya for the Gratitude Circle Linky

 

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⇐ You can catch my previous Gratitude post here ⇒