But two things happened this morning that gave me rejuvenated energy to control the mind and my feelings so Lockdown 2.0 can be approached with positivity. Sharing it on my blog so that everyone who reads it can also find renewed energy and so I am also reminded daily to be positive. This morning my cleaner(part timer) came to ask for her March salary. While i gave her the money, we both sat down for a chit chat over chai. (with appropriate sanitisers, masks and social distancing). I wanted to understand how her family and those around her were faring in these times. It was surprising she hadn't asked for her salary all this while so I was curious on how they were managing.
She told me that where she and many daily workers like herself lived there was a lot of police doing the rounds. The police were not only stopping them from going out to work but also distributing food once daily. The police were even volunteering to get their rations on a weekly basis so they didn't have to step out. There was dry ration available to buy at very discounted prices, she said. Every 2-3 days, some government organisation or NGO was also coming to distribute cooked meals in their areas(house by house). She said they had enough of food and that's why she hadn't come to get her salary. She also told me that her son( in 9th class in a Kendriya Vidyala school) was having online classes. He, along with few more friends were sharing a device that someone owned and they studied during those classes together. When their classes were over, they were loaning that device to other set of students to study their online classes. She said, the only thing missing was that she was bored. She missed her daily activity of work. She in fact, requested me to allow her to resume work. I told her to hold on for two more weeks and then we shall decide. As she went back, my thoughts went out to those young slum kids who were sharing a laptop to study, to those organisations distributing food, to those policemen volunteering to get rations. This is HOPE.
As I was smiling at these thoughts, I sat back to listen to the PM's address. As he announced Lockdown 2.0 till May 3, my younger one (who is an ardent Modi fan) walked in. Oh, Modiji is talking, she screamed and started listening to his speech. As i grimaced on the fact that my work would suffer for another 3 weeks and whether we will survive this apocalypse or no, Myra jumped with joy. she had just read on the screen that the lockdown is extended till 3 May. Does that mean no lockdown on my birthday(8th may)? She asked. I think so, I replied. She started clapping and a small jig followed- Oh ye, Oh ye..she went..I had tears in my eyes. I realised how shortsighted i had been. It was just another reminder for me that Family and its happiness is everything. Money and other material things will come and go. My 7 year old had just given me HOPE in times when I was dreading another 3 weeks of being in quarantine. She had just showed me what a positive attitude can do to life. Her positivity rubbed out on all of us, we turned off the TV and high-fived her in a HOPE that we will be celebrating her birthday soon.
Hold On , Pain Ends Soon.
Lets choose HOPE!
R
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