The pandemic has been my best teacher to date.
When the coronavirus outbreak hit Dubai, I had initially panicked. And when the 24-hour-lockdown started, my panic got worse. I felt some higher authority had taken my routine and my freedom away at the click of a finger, and it wasn’t long before a feeling of claustrophobia had taken over my mind and my body.
We have been told to stay at home from March to date, which was essentially our summer season in the UAE. I quickly imagined the worst (for my reality then) — no beach, no friends, no outings, no outdoor walks, no bars, no restaurants, no cafes, no travel — no freedom.
But 10 days into it, and when I decided to fully surrender to what was, I started to notice shifts in my life. And these were important shifts I never thought could happen to me.
As a freelancer, I made the conscious choice to flip my work-life balance from working 70 percent of the time and dedicating 30 percent to my wellbeing, to spending 30 percent of my days working and 70 percent on myself. That, in itself, made me feel a sense of inner peace. And the more I allowed myself to ride the wave of life, the more I started to notice doors opening, that were allowing me to experience true happiness.
It has now been over two months that quarantine has started for us, and there are major lessons I have learnt from it that I plan to keep once the coronavirus dust settles.
I went from being completely demotivated to work out — and not working out for a whole year — to taking up yoga twice a week and buying the first bicycle in my adult life to cycle three times a week. The peace you acquire just from breathing in yoga and feeling the wind on your face when cycling has been pure bliss.
I went from going out to dinners at restaurants and drinks at bars every weekend with friends to catch up on our weekly routines, to preferring cooking and dining at home in what I was able to create as a perfect experience in my own living room or on my balcony. My favourite food, coupled with my favourite music, my favourite wine and my favourite person (my husband), were all that my subconscious had actually wished for.
I went from constantly messaging, meetings and being on calls with friends to realising I don’t actually need to Zoom every night with a great number of people to feel ok, because my own company gave me the most peace of mind and joy. A book gave me the most of peace of mind. Meditation gave me the most peace of mind.
I went from having the option to spend time in hotels with a private pool and feeling like I had reached my quarantine goals, to realising that even that novelty wears off eventually and my sanctuary had actually become my home.
I went from having many opportunities to go out and about, and realising that, when I did, I actually missed my home. I missed my home like I miss my siblings who live abroad. That was a massive revelation as I was never one to be able to sit down and pay attention to my home, having been used to traveling around 80 percent of my time so far.
I went from hoarding clothes, objects, bags, shoes, hats, sunglasses, make-up, and generally overconsuming, to giving so much of what I have for free. Because you then come to realise that there is nowhere near as much satisfaction in hoarding anything or in even selling anything you no longer need for a measly profit, than there is in offering it to those in need.
That’s when I became addicted to giving. I became hooked to that feeling of having changed someone else’s life with something I never even gave that much importance to, after all. And that is when the stage of gratitude kicked in.
When you realise that acts of kindness have an invaluable impact that transcends any amassed fortune, that they trickle down to the rest of the world and that you feel every trickle within you, then you understand what was so wrong with the society you lived in.
We live in an “unjust” world, where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. And if we stop turning a blind eye, for just one minute, we will realise how we wouldn’t last one day in the shoes of those in need.
When we realise that we complain about staying at home, when others simply don’t have a home, then we start to second-guess ourselves and the way we have led our lives so far.
We become eternally grateful for the endless blessings we have in our lives and that we are able to choose what we want to eat tonight — rather than wonder if we will eat at all.
We become eternally grateful that we are able to pick out which outfit we wish to wear any day — rather than wonder how we will be able to sow the holes in that one t-shirt we have to wear daily because that’s all we have.
We become eternally grateful that we are protected by our health insurance, should anything ever happen to us — rather than hope no illness hits us because we can’t afford healthcare in the first place.
We become eternally grateful we even have a bank account, rather than wonder how we are going to make it through the day with the pennies we managed to gather and save.
We are able to go to the salon or the barber to fix our hair, nails, beards, and even get a massage when our bodies become too “exhausted”, instead of having to numb out any pain or discomfort we feel, simply because we have no other financial choice.
We realise how many copies we have of different items at home in case we ever misplace or lose one, instead of wondering if we will ever have enough money to buy anything at all.
We realise we actually have the luxury of choice to work, in many cases, if we feel like it instead of wondering how we will make it through a full day or month of work while grieving or experiencing physical or mental pain, just to ensure our families do not starve.
We realise we can speak to our loved ones daily because we can afford to, instead of wondering if they are healthy and safe on the other side of the world just because we don’t have WiFi, data or even a phone. Can you imagine your life without any of these assets?
We realise a dinner out in town can sometimes cost us the equivalent of someone else’s monthly salary. And then, suddenly, in the stillness of it all, we stop wondering what will happen to our summer when others experience every season with the same hardship. When others don’t even know what a holiday actually represents because every day is a hustle, no matter what season it is.
We realise we are treated with respect simply because we are of a certain race or class, while others are treated as if they do not even exist. If you are able to read this online, then you are lucky. You are fortunate. And you are blessed.
This quarantine has taught me a lot. That I am grateful for every single thing I own and have access to. And that I am on this planet to give, without expecting anything in return, simply because I can.
Ultimately, we are all human beings, yet we do not get to experience this isolation in the same manner. So the next time you decide what cuisine to order or cook tonight, the next time you open your closet in the morning to pick out an outfit out of the hundreds you own, and the next time you get in your car to drive wherever you please or use your credit card to pay for whatever you wish, remember that there are millions out there who are unable to do just that. The next time you think about complaining that you have to sit in your comfortable, warm and cosy home that has a roof, walls, a door, windows and a bed, think again.
Give without expecting anything in return and forget about your “needs and wants” to put those who are truly in need, first.
We are in this life for a reason, and it is certainly not to indulge.
It is to help, help and help others again, again and again.
We come across these people every day, no matter where we live and it is high time we pay attention to them.
We are needed for that sole purpose of spreading acts of love and kindness to those whose circumstances do not allow them to feel it because their life depicts the true meaning of hard.
So open your heart and open your mind to use the tools that God/Source/The Universe gave you to help.
Because if you don’t, then who will?
