Life may be quarantined, but not thoughts

As I sit by the window at my home in Mumbai and stare at the cloudless blue sky, thousands of emotions are fighting to break free. Though I am alone in my room, I have the company of cheerful birds who are quite likely having a party and continually singing their song while the Coronavirus rages on and keeps us imprisoned.

This lockdown phase is peculiar. Sometimes, I enjoy being at home, and at the very next minute, I have a strong urge to go out and sit by the peaceful waves at Marine Drive. I also miss hanging out with my friends and eating at our favorite restaurant.

It’s been a good 11 months since I moved to the city of dreams. Furthermore, for me, my coworkers are my only friends. Though we are in touch through social media and con calls, I still miss those candid moments of fun and laughter at the workplace (while working, of course). These are unprecedented times, and all that we can do is stay safe at home and wait for the right time to get back to our normal lives.

This lockdown time also got me thinking that we are so accustomed to the daily hustle that sitting idle for a few minutes makes us anxious. We are so addicted to technology that before the lockdown, staring at the phone constantly was like a distant dream. Recently, I was trapped in an eternal loop of listening to melodious songs. Though I am a shy person, post-midnight, I usually dive into the ocean of love with romantic songs and my crush.

Before today, there was an endless list of tasks to complete. The list also included the best hobby which could not be a career because of Abba nahi maanenge. We have also been busy accomplishing our company’s goals that we ignored our own individual goals. Some of us wanted to learn a new skill, improve existing skills, or simply chill. Our prayers were answered, and here we are in the middle of the lockdown. Now, we have the most precious thing in this world — time. Now, we finally have the gift that we complain about the most. It is a fantastic opportunity to become more creative and do what we want because, who knows, Kal Ho Na Ho.

Yesterday, I got a catch-up call from my colleague/boss. We shared our daily routine and upcoming tasks for the week ahead. During the whole conversation, his focus was on learning new things during this lockdown. I felt so motivated after the call that I found myself speaking Bunny’s lines in my mind: main udna chahta hoon, daudna chahta hoon, girna bhi chahta hu bas rukna nahi chahta.

I believe in the phrase that we become what we feed our brains. I have followed Bollywood so much that it’s running actively in my blood and coming out through my words. It’s straightforward: what you see and read right now will decide what you become in the future.

Therefore, today, let’s vow to feed our brains with positive thoughts and make a habit to read more books. Choose the company of good people who always motivate us to do better and always inspire to learn more. In the end, the people who push us to make mistakes teach us the best lessons.

As the lockdown lingers on, this is what I will be following, too.

Originally published at https://thewiseidiot.in on April 17, 2020.