Rediscover learning, hug the positives in life in uncertain coronavirus times

When a friend asked me how I am handling the work from home (WFH) situation currently, I am glad that I could actually find time to pen down a page, hope you enjoy reading it. While the world is fighting against a virus, and putting the globe at a pause, what am I witnessing? Indeed, there is pain seeing people suffer, businesses are almost back to basics, threat to travel and social distancing!  Life suddenly throws you in phase of silence, lots of reading, breaking news and conspiracy theories.

Rediscover learning, hug the positives in life in uncertain coronavirus times as we all see India Inc work from home.

Honestly, it has put the entire human force on a slow and uncertain mode. Fears of different levels and proportion from friends and neighbours who almost felt like one in the family until last week. Social distancing to the extent of talking only via phone though we share a wall, makes me laugh. Unfortunately, these are times when we need to stay indoors to stay healthy.

Life now reminds me of the song ‘You in your small corner and I in mine.’

From a day buzzing with work around Strategic initiatives, Mergers & Acquisitions, achieving organisational efficiencies, valuations and the like, life has suddenly pulled the breaks of this engine called the brain. If my corporate avatar was the left brain, home and personal life was the right brain. While I knew I was largely left brained, now am faced with a problem like a love triangle, no actually an equilateral triangle needing to expend both sides of the brain equally and demandingly at the same time. Well I just described my status of WFH-Work From Home.

My opinion on WFH = WFH, whether you work from home or the office, you ultimately Work For Home

Fair enough that technology has brought us this far that we can almost carry out any kind of work today from home or anywhere remote. However, my favourite feature on my phone or laptop is the ability to mute my side during a call, as that is the saviour button when the pressure cooker whistle blows in between calls or when my son urgently needs the answer to his question about Apollo11 or NASA’s Mission to Mars!

Also Read: How are men dealing with work from home 

I told myself that I was anyways juggling several things every day and now life has few more additions; being at home, cooking several meals and being teacher and the mom at the same time.... while unlike a juggler who gets to choose what he wants to juggle with, we seldom have the choice, but truth is that one is still juggling all the time! Maybe just that I don’t have an audience to applaud or be amused you know, especially with the social distancing stuff.

My learning curve has surged, I am hugging the positives in coronavirus times - Deepa

Bright side of the situation is that am learning new things like virtual schooling along with my son, spending quality time at home, catching up a show on Netflix during the evenings, dishing out innovative recipes, actually seeing how a weekday looks like outside the office chamber! I wonder how we were so tuned not to worry when we spent days n years within the four walls of an office, but we are so worried now having to spend two weeks within the four walls of our homes which is where the heart is!

Also Read: A mom's tribulations of being at home

Like it is said that “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”  Am sure this moment is definitely going to be etched in the world’s memory of 2020, about how our world came to a still, a deserved break from the rat race that we run!

Took a walk early this evening with my son, which is a never done before phenomenon as typically we would be rushing to his extra-curricular classes at about 4pm every evening. I was patiently answering all his questions ranging from the corona situation to why kids are not coming out to play, to my recent loss due to the stock market crash, and how economies revolve around these things, explaining interdependencies and the ecosystem around us.

While it was interesting exchanging perspectives, the one big take away I had though was when he said: “Mommy, remember you always tell me that the key to success is to focus on goals and not obstacles” stay positive! Even if we get affected by the virus let’s handle it!

Let’s stay positive, yet cautious! Ache Din Aayenge! Life is still beautiful.

Views expressed are author's own