A Candle in this Tunnel
If you’ve met me, you probably have met one of the most positive person on Earth, sometimes I can be too positive — I can always find a reason out of being disheartened. This time around though.. my mind and heart are clouded by all the disheartening news both in the world and well my personal life too. It is a bit overwhelming and I am trying my best to still take control of my life, thoughts and emotions.
Most of my prior interactions before all this #COVID2019 has occurred really revolved around hoping to take a proper break from life, to just take a pause and have the time to reflect on our lives. Well, hey this is it. It’s a forced break not our choice but time does not stop so let us re-orient ourselves and respond to this circumstance with hope and vigour, this time not only for us but also for people around you. Energy matters.
Mother Nature needs this, give her some room to breathe once again. The universe is saying that it’s time to look inwards and find meaning in life outside of work. It’s time for a detox: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
I have used this time to revisit my value system, reassess my priorities, what truly matters in my life, who I am genuinely and what sparks joy in my day-to-day encounters.
I am sure you can relate when the reflex response for a “How are you?” is “I’m good” without even thinking through what you really feel. City life is great and fast-paced, which is exciting and with any coin, there is a flip-side.. we forget the small things.
What then sparked my joy was the purpose of my role at work, training with my paddling mates by the lake, hopping from one restaurant to another and walking anywhere and everywhere downtown. I felt in control and in the flow and trust me, it is the best feeling ever. It was a strong sense of self-assurance and confidence that I can go about my day even with a couple of humps and bumps on the road.
Now, I have none of those with social distancing and working from home. With the current set-up, I also never felt closer to my co-workers. We have tons of group video chats to keep the human-ness. Massive shout-out to our host, event planner and COO, Helen (if you’re reading this, you are very much appreciated). This also allowed me more free time to have more family sit-down meals plus I get to cook dinner for them, walk to the nearest park with my siblings, read more, and finally try out different hobbies I have kept in the back-burner like my word puzzles. AND write this article.
There is a silver-lining, folks. I know media in this generation has taught us of “YOLO” and living our lives to the fullest but we should not feel that we need to be outside in restaurants, movie theatres, airports, or parties to feel that life is not wasted. Let us take good care of ourselves to also protect our loved ones.
This is not the best time to take those types of risks nor make selfish decisions on wanting to not waste time or regretting not having another opportunity to travel to that destination or attend that fun party.
Let us use this time to appreciate and not take advantage of our lunch breaks, coffee chats with co-workers, dinner time with family, phone calls with friends, walks around the city, smiles, hugs, and kisses. I am now motivated to write another article on what you can do with this new lifestyle.
Life is a savoury meal and a tasty treat. After indulging in a full entree, I typically would crave for something sweet but in order to appreciate the contrast of the flavours — I must be patient and have a healthy digestion, hello water! Before anything, I get to choose which restaurant to try but the food’s outcome is not something that I can control so I have learned to appreciate the entire experience. There is always room for dessert so save some space.
Stay safe and sane, dear friends! Sending all the love & positive energy your way 😊😊😊
It definitely feels like this catastrophe is only the beginning of many more bad news but I am trying to rephrase it to myself: this is already the beginning of the end of this tragedy ❤️
