At the time of writing this, I have been in isolation for over sixty days. The first two weeks of it was self-isolation because a client had contracted COVID19 virus at work and the entire workforce was instructed to work from home.
So, the month of March was the start of my real lesson in observation, where my life was restricted to my flat, balcony garden and one-hour exercise walks at a nearby park while trying to maintain social distancing.
Contrary to popular myths, it was difficult for me to get into writing and creating mode in the first few weeks. The first hurdle was psychological, dwelling with my mortality and the prospect of not seeing my family for a long time.
The fiercest battle is between us and our own selves, rejecting the gift of rest stops and the opportunity to climb off the suffocating treadmills.
I thought the loss of income would bother me much, but surprisingly no. At least, I think, I got my priorities in life right.
I thrashed through waves of emotions first – sadness, rage, despair and even euphoria – after finally landing onto a grounded plane. Have my feet touched the bottom of the pond? If so, it’s not so scary as I thought.
Slowly, my universe grows gigantically bigger. Every time I step out, the sky appears taller and the flowering roadside weeds get more noticeable.
My dry coughs subside, and I inhale the clean air my lungs deserve, even at their reduced capacity.
Since the reduction of traffic noises, my senses grow sharper to sounds and colours. I wake up to loud birdsongs in the morning. It’s been a month now since I switched off the morning alarms on my smartphone.
Out there the world erupted into different kind of wars we’ve never seen before. War against an invisible virus, the lockdown camp versus movement freedom camp, populism versus science and so on. The fiercest battle is between us and our own selves, rejecting the gift of rest stops and the opportunity to climb off the suffocating treadmills.
Meanwhile, the sky gets bluer and the spring flowers leap out in celebration. My dry coughs subside, and I inhale the clean air my lungs deserve, even at their reduced capacity.
Photos taken by iPhone 7s while taking exercise walks.
After The Rain 