Will these testing times give us insightful learnings?

Did you ever wonder, in pre COVID times, how it would feel to live in a small and quiet village? I faced this question a couple of times before, and each time I thought to myself "there's no way I can be in a quiet town, I'm a city girl, I need the noise, the people, the speedy lifestyle. A quiet village would be SO boring!"

Well… then COVID happened. We were all forced to stay at home and drastically change our lifestyle. We had to stop planning our weekends and to forget about our future gatherings, outside commitments and social events.

I was suddenly confronted with LOADS of spare time, not only from the cancelled gatherings but because I stopped going through my daily miserable, stressful and crammed commute! Actually, I didn’t have to get myself ready for work nor did I have to take my packed lunches with me, no gym bag to carry …plus, I suddenly had MUCH more time to sleep! (Also… talk about warm homemade breakfasts and "day pyjamas")

Suddenly my life had gone from hectic multitasking to quiet and peaceful, and contrary to my initial thoughts, I was actually enjoying it!

Getting circa 10 weekly hours back to myself meant more time to relax and refocus. Sure, I wasn’t doing as many activities as before, but hey… thank you INTERNET and TECHNOLOGY for letting me see my family and friends across the Atlantic at the touch of a screen, for letting me get my groceries and prescriptions online, for being able to work from the safety of my couch, for keeping us connected to other human beings!

  

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade! And if (somewhat ironically) life gives you time, make the most of it! Take some time for yourself and revisit your long-standing to do list. Are all your tasks still relevant or do some seem unnecessary? (like honestly… there's no need to colour code your socks!). And similarly, what are the points that make it to the top of your list and do they align with your life goals?

I never thought I would enjoy a quiet life, but this lockdown has shown me that sometimes less is definitely more. By taking away so many distractions, I've finally had a chance to refocus myself, settle my mind and to appreciate what life does have to offer. I do not deny that we are going through very tough times, and I do not mean to minimise the extremely difficult situations that many are going through right now. I understand that all things considered, some of us are in a privileged situation, lucky to still have a job that lets us provide for ourselves and our families, fortunate to have uninterrupted shelter and (hopefully) to have all our loved ones in a safe state.

So if you are reading this, rest assured I’m not taking this situation lightly. I am simply choosing to find a positive message amongst the difficulties, trying to find a tangible lesson that will prevail amongst the general and overwhelming uncertainty.

I am still defining what these lessons will be, and the actions that I will take as a result. I have known for a long time that I want to put myself at the service of others, to extend a helping hand to those in need. As I define what is the best way forward for me, I urge others to join this search. Is there any skill or passion of yours that could benefit others? If so, how can you use this to help?

As I leave you to ponder on my previous points, I will close this post by highlighting and thanking the heroic efforts being made by our fellow humans: nurses, grocery delivery workers, teachers, doctors, bus drivers, volunteers, security guards, carers… in short, every single person that keeps giving their time, energy (and even lives) to support others. It is in these testing times that human kindness shines through and reminds us that we are not alone!