It’s a hard time, for all of us and everyone we know. We didn’t see this coming. Since the olden days of World War I and II, (which I have only read or watched movies about) – I had never seen anything that affects the entire world at once like the Corona Virus has. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a days’ old baby, a teenager, an old woman or man, everyone can be a victim. We are all in this together, and no one was more prepared than another. Which means, we are all venturing an uncharted territory.

The instructions for prevention have been made clear and they are the same around the globe; Stay home; Maintain a social distance from everyone else; No hugs (that hurts a little though, I miss the hugs);  Do not shake hands; Wash your hands as often as you can; Keep clean, Keep hydrated, and Stay informed through the right sources. Things that we all thought we knew too well. So yes, the rumor that the virus is only affecting a certain race or age and not the rest was put to silence. The virus doesn’t care about which country you come from; what day of the week you worship God, or if you do at all; which skin colour you are, your academic qualifications, your bank account balance, or even the position of authority you hold in your office. Matter of fact, as we speak, there has been a switch for many and our homes have become the workplace – apart from the special humans, the medics, bless their hearts.

God must have watched us from above, looking down on our extraordinary excitement at the beginning of this year when all we could scream was Tweny Tweny! He must have wondered if we were even close to prepared for the ‘package’ that was about to drop at our doorsteps. When the Corona Virus announced it’s arrival, none of us thought it would be ‘that bad’ until it made its way from country to country, to Africa, to our neighborhoods, to our circles, and then to our homes. To some, it still sounds like a dream we are yet to wake up from. Like, how exactly do you explain an episode of life in which the most important requirement for one to stay safe is to stay home and wash their hands! How?

The truth is that before the stay at home restrictions, we had all been so attached to our busy daily routines and a life where technology gave us most solutions to our challenges. Life was busy, we rarely stopped for a minute. Until we were forced to. Routines were interrupted, comfort zones messed up, plans cancelled, business deals stopped and life slowly lost meaning (or let’s say gained a new meaning). Everything that didn’t then, all of a sudden means a lot now. Simple things like how often and how we wash our hands. The idea of ‘safety in numbers’ suddenly sounds scary because social distancing feels safer. We even learnt a new term for it…Quarantine. We have been grounded, but also given a time to rethink our priorities. What everyone does during the self-isolation, self-distancing, lockdown (as some countries have already adapted) is our choice.

When Corona finally bids good-bye, and the last patient is safely back home, and medical workers can finally breathe, when washing hands has become a universal culture for all of us, – the new life (and trust be it will be new) should atleast find us with a starting point. You may choose to keep on standby for updates on how the virus is spreading on a daily and worry about how far it’s getting (but this will leave you more worked out than informed/updated). Or you may also choose to make the best out of this time by investing in yourself, keeping safe, nurturing your relationships with friends and family, and making virtual connections that you will thrive on once all this is over.

The more you continuously invest in yourself, the more value you add to those around you. We all know you can only give what you have, so don’t stop discovering new ideas of investing this time in yourself. You know better what works for you, so I won’t go there. Because when all this dust settles (and it will), there will still be YOU!