‘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.
He is a student of class 7th, S.B. Patil Public School, Pune.