It still catches me by surprise that you found us worthy of being part of the generation that will live to tell the unadulterated tale of your time.

Remember how it started? It was fear at first ear-hear. And rightfully so because ours was a troubled house. Locusts were upon us and doctors and nurses had on and off strikes and go slows- a clear indicator that the healthcare system was barely afloat. Nonetheless, you found your way here and have (sure) chosen to overstay.

I have had many feels about you over the period; among them- appreciation for the lessons.

For teaching us to look within

Because life can come to us real hard when we least expect.

You could lose the job that fueled your ego and defined your social standing; the organization or company could shut down-taking away your sense of financial security, your livelihood could be threatened by every macro factor and your health could be taken away from you in a jiffy.

Suffice to say, the rug you are standing on can be pulled right out from under your feet with absolutely no warning. And when it does, it is time to look within because you were (a full person) before you became (a title).

For showing us that indeed, it can always get worse

Even though it gets better in the end, it might get worse before then… Should it, you have to steady up and find your way back up- and that is not optional.

We fumbled through the pandemic and got a fair share of failures along the way. In all fairness, the times were unprecedented, and this was our first attempt dealing with this kind of a threat to a healthcare system that was already struggling. And when you moved from the first wave to the second and the third, we quickly learnt that indeed the situation could be worse especially for a country that largely built their muscle to fight the pandemic in the battlefield.

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For whispering to us that ‘it could be you’

 It could be you infected or affected at a personal level. Some of us will remember you for what they heard about you from the media and stories told …. But a good number of us will remember for what you took them through at a personal level. The long days of worrying about the security of your job and the sleepless nights of the uncertainty of what tomorrow would hold. The lost livelihoods and deeps in the economy whose recovery we cannot predict with confidence. The lives lost too soon and goodbyes unsaid. The absolute lack of closure  for our loved ones buried under the covid protocols.

For letting us experience a different way of doing things

Out of the extraordinary measures that came in an attempt to combat you, we learnt that humanity is adaptive to change and life is more flexible that we ever imagined.  We re-engineered work models and products and discovered new ways of doing things.

And above all else, for helping us redefine what matters

For when all is said and done, it boils down to how well we spent the time on the things and people that mattered.

Born of the doom days of lock downs and curfews were reconnections with families and rekindled affection. Through it, we got the opportunity to re-evaluate our lives and reexamine our priorities and we cannot take this for granted.

Here’s to better days yet to come

*I have learnt how ephemeral everything can feel; and maybe everything is . Sheryl Sandberg

Three cents Covid Life Quarantine