What a Difference A Year Makes
It’s been a year of the pandemic or at least since we’ve been locked down/working from home, and it’s crazy how time flies. I’m incredibly lucky to be living in Singapore where the handling of the pandemic has been swift and efficient and just really a master class in crisis communications.
Looking back on the past year, I’ve had my low moments (feeling stir crazy last April when we did the circuit break with no end in sight) to really feeling grateful with how quickly things opened up and how ‘normal’ life is today, even if I wear a mask every where I go and have to check-in/check-out of every place I go to.
So many things happened to me, from learning to wake up earlier because now I don’t have travel time to consider and I could exercise in the morning — when I used to run late into the evening after work, after getting home and after dinner and some rest. This means I also ended up sleeping earlier — at least for my standards — in bed before midnight (doesn’t mean I’m sleeping just yet though).
I’ve also learned to cook and feed myself. The biggest change of the pandemic is me actually cooking consistently and preparing meals for the week ahead. This also has to do with my cholesterol results which I discovered right before the pandemic hit and so it’s kind of coincided with this and what a good way to add routine into my life — from eating salmon and oatmeal every day to branching out and trying new recipes, to getting to know the different groceries near me and finding the best deals and best cuts.
Then there’s the fact that I’ve had way more calls of the video and non-video variety — the conscious effort to keep in touch with friends both here and everywhere around the globe. Tweaking the cadence of the calls so they were less a burden as time went on. Keeping tabs on the family and all the people that were affected by COVID-19. When it started, it was people who knew people. And then it became friends and until it hit family. Luckily, those affected came out the other side ok, but the stress of being far from loved ones going through it was probably one of the lowest points — feeling helpless.
But because this is Singapore, I’m actually able to socialise in real life (even if it’s below 8 people, I’ll take it considering we started out with just 5 people in Phase 2) and really being mindful and present in these because they feel all the more rare and I feel incredibly grateful that I’m able to do this to begin with.
And now, it’s looking forward to getting my vaccine — when schedules open up for the general public in June, I’m excited to sign up and get my shot — whichever brand it is. And really recalibrate what life looks like post-vaccination. I’m not even thinking of travel, but more like which habits do I choose to keep and which ones do I ease up on?
How have things changed for you and how have things stayed the same?
