Sarah Warsi

It feels like we blinked and just like that it’s May. The last two and a half months have honestly felt like a fog, for obvious reasons. A complete blur filled nothing but “pandemic-onium”.

Honestly, I have no idea what spin to put on this. Everything and anything about it has already been said in some form. I’m with everyone else in wondering when things will “normalize”.

As the weather finally continues to warm up, it brings a subtle sense of optimism and hope that we will soon be on the other side of this. The nicer weather is inevitably going to be a magnet for people to want to get out too. Today, for example, was sunny and mild and a perfect day to get out for a stroll. It was so nice to see a handful of people out and about as well taking their dogs for a walk, riding their bikes, or kicking a ball with a friend out in the field. While it was generally still very deserted, just seeing a ‘sprinkle’ of activity here and there was somewhat up-lifting.

I do feel that these last several weeks have given us plenty of time to really reflect on our lives and think about what’s truly important. It has taught me a level of gratitude and patience that I honestly don’t think I would have discovered any other way. I’m sure I am not alone in that feeling.

The inability to go about our regular life has forced us to get creative in coming up with alternatives to self-care where possible. Some of us have discovered a hidden talent of hair-cutting (not me!), as an example.

Bring Out the Chef in You

There has likely been an upsurge in cooking more at home since dining out is not an option right now. Sure, curb-side pick up and deliveries are still available for many places, but you can only do that so much – especially since some restaurants are charging all these extra service fees on top of the normal cost of the food.

Your most cost-effective option right now would probably be to cook for yourself as much as you can right now. Personally, it has forced me into thinking more outside of the box and trying new things that I may have otherwise not thought of doing so. After all, you can only have cereal, eggs or mac and cheese, so many times! 😉

I do think as a community, we’ve done a relatively good job of taking the necessary precautions needed to help continue to control this spread, but then there are those select few that do things in the moment, without thinking about the long-term effects.

The other day I went to the store and had the unfortunate luck of getting a shopping cart with someone’s used and dirty gloves left in them. Yuck. It was too late to grab another cart as I was already inside the store by the time I noticed and this was after standing outside half an hour to get in. So I had no choice but to safely remove them without touching them, of course, and then properly disposing of them, before I could carry with my tasks.

It just got me thinking that, wow, how hard is it to just throw your gloves out? Why leave it to some unsuspecting, unassuming stranger to have to clean up after you? I get that people are frustrated but we can’t stop the spread with neglectful choices like this – not exactly a sign of being ‘in this together’.

Having said that, overall as a community, I think we should give ourselves a pat on the back. As of yesterday, it has been reported that, nation-wide, our collective efforts have been working in helping to flatten the curve and reduced infection rates. So while we are unfortunately still seeing new cases being reported, at least the ‘bigger picture’ tells us we can take some level of comfort in knowing that we are moving in the right direction.

As some lockdowns slowly begin to ease up, we can only remain cautiously optimistic and remind ourselves that we are definitely not venturing back into a normal that was once or that we are familiar with, but a completely new reality here for good, that we will need to continue to adjust and adapt to, one day at a time.

How have you been coping with the mental drain this whole ordeal has taken? Please share your thoughts below.