My New Normal

‘All’s well that ends well.’

My lockdown experience is the exact opposite of this commonly used quote from the famous play by William Shakespeare.

My first reaction: When I got to know about the lockdown in the entire country, I got excited thinking that I will get more time to spend with my family, more time for TV and no more school! Most of my friends felt the same way.

The initial phase: The initial excitement started to fade out after a couple of weeks. I was getting bored of being confined within my home. I was missing my cricket classes. I was also not comfortable with the online classes and started to miss my school. This also took a toll on my behaviour and I began reacting in an agitated manner.

Getting used to the ‘New Normal’: Slowly and steadily I got accustomed to this ‘New Normal’. The online classes began making sense. I started developing a few hobbies, like painting and gardening. I also began playing video games and video-called my friends on birthdays or other functions. My cricket classes also became online—this was really great as now I was asked to post my individual video drills to my coach.

However, I was still missing the freedom to roam around without the mask. I looked forward to seeing my friends and attending my family’s social gatherings. I missed my cricket ground and my fun time at school.

My takeaways: The biggest takeaways are to value the freedom which we were blessed with—my friends and family, and the importance of our health. From now on, I will never crib for gadgets and fancy clothing and will always be thankful to God for keeping me and my near and dear ones safe during these challenging times.