Lockdown Blues

A friend recently called and announced that he was on his way to our apartment.

He lives a few streets away, but the phone call was made just a few blocks away from my house. Mind you, this was amid the current total lockdown.

For a moment after the call, I was disoriented. My wife and I were at a deep loss as to what to do to discourage this visit. This friend is a very educated and well-exposed chap. I thought he ought to know better.

How did he fail to understand that the lockdown and maintaining social distance at this time was not a policy to be trivialized?

So I paced around the room, racking my brains for a good excuse to use to discourage this visit. Now, guess who handed me the phone and asked that I courteously suggest to my friend that visiting us at this time was not a good idea?

Yes. You guessed it. My wife.

Indeed, my wife is one person that does not make light of the current pandemic.

Prior to the lockdown, I told her that she was being overly paranoid about her attitude towards the coronavirus situation.

For instance, each time I arrived home from work, there is a small carton waiting for me by the garage.  The purpose of the carton is for me to dispose of in it any used gloves, face-masks, etc., that escorted me home. And then, there is also a bowl of water and soap waiting for me by the door to the apartment.

And it doesn’t stop there.

As soon as I emerge at the door into the apartment, she would race to hold down the kids from offering me the traditional welcome rites of hugs and kisses.

When she has successfully secured the kids in a grip – and away from me, she points me in the direction of the bathroom, where she had prepared some soap and disinfectant solution for me to wash and take my bath with.

Needless to say, it was absolutely forbidden for me to enter any other room in the apartment except I have been thoroughly disinfected.  Never in my life have I felt so leprous.

However, I do realize that safety consideration should come above every other sentiment.

Oh, by the way, our friend later called to apologize for his impetuousness. He blamed it all on boredom.

Of course, I could relate. Indeed, the lockdown has not been funny.

However, socializing at the risk of exposing our families to infection by the novel coronavirus is too big a risk to take.

It sure gets excruciatingly boring during the lockdown. Especially for many of us who have lived decades of our lives on daily hustle and bustle.

During this lockdown, one just has to be creative in devising ways of staying entertained indoors. Naturally, some of these strategies tend to get boring after a while. However, one has to stay creative and keep reinventing new form of entertainment.

One method that has proved quite helpful during this period is my social media interactions, especially on my various WhatsApp groups.

Indeed, it has been all sort in the various WhatsApp groups. Its been arguments, conspiracy theories, puzzles, jokes, funny emojis and stickers, etc. Often, one wakes in the morning to meet an incredible amount of unread messages to keep one busy and entertained for the entire day.

Of course, after a while, one gets bored of WhatsApp and its numerous dramas. Then, there are other things would come to the rescue: Netflix, Cable TV, DisHusbandMata.com and other blogs, etc.

So, while the lockdown persists, it has offered me a rare opportunity to learn stuff. I discovered numerous online courses were waiting for me to take. Some of them free-of- charges.

 

Oh, by the way, I think I am now a “guru” in video editing and Cyber-security. Yes, I took some lessons on YouTube. Thanks to the stay-at-home.

The lockdown is also proving me with the opportunity to call as many friends and relatives that the rat race of city life has prevented me from reaching out to.

As the lockdown persist, one thing is very certain: the world will never remain the same after the lockdown.

Therefore, while we seek various ways to kill boredom, it is also important that we also use the opportunity of the lockdown to prepare for an uncertain future.

Indeed, after the world overcomes the current pandemic, lot of things will never be the same again.