#SaraReads #GratitudeDuringCovid: Essay-UNO is our new found love

In the time of Corona : UNO is our new found love

This highly contagious corona virus has taken over the world in no time. Every news article, be it print or digital, is reporting corona news. I am scared to read or watch news. It almost feels as if this is going to go on forever; scary!

I think we all need a break from this. 

In my mind, I know that this pandemic will stop eventually. Science and awareness would certainly beat this epidemic.  We just need to be patient and disciplined and wait for the situation to get better.

Staying locked up in my house without meeting my school friends makes me depressed. I am an outdoor person; I need to get out of the house at least once. Even though I go out for cycling and walks, I feel claustrophobic at times. 

As I pen this down, I do appreciate the requirement of this nationwide lock-down to save lives. And I can’t begin to express my gratitude to all in the medical fraternity who are working tirelessly to save each and every life. We are thankful to the civic workers who are braving their lives and still showing up for work everyday.

My heart goes out to the migrant workers who are tirelessly waiting to get back to their villages. They have been subjected to this adversity for no fault of theirs. I recently saw a video where some civil servants were wearing masks and spraying them with disinfectants. It is so difficult for me to even fathom something like this. I am sincerely praying for their safe return home!!

For me as well, life has become slightly overwhelming with these continuous virtual classes and endless offline submissions. My entire last quarter of school is happening online. It is taxing to sit in front of the laptop for seven hours. We will be graduating to our next academic year, online. I could have never imagined of such a cast down culmination of a wonderful academic year. I do have a long chat session with my friends daily but the camaraderie we had in school cannot be replicated virtually.

Of course, there are some silver linings in this lockdown too. I get to spend more time with my dad and mom. I cycle with my dad and go for walks with my parents every day. This was very rare before the lock down because of the paucity of time. Binge watching my favourite Netflix shows, listening to music keeps me upbeat. 

My parents and I have found a new love. And it is UNO! I remember buying UNO cards years ago, but as a family we never got enough time to play. It was lying in one corner layered with dust. And now in this quarantine time, UNO magic has boosted our bond many folds with so much fun. 

Baking was never my thing, but I have realized with a little practice everything gets better. I have learned how to whip a Belgium waffle. Eating waffles with Nutella and ice-cream sure makes me forget this nightmare for a while!!

I am planning to use my ‘coronified’ summer break to good use. Some good books and revisiting my old dance lessons, should keep me productively and interestingly busy. 

This pandemic has sure created a lot of chaos and panic but has put life into perspective for me. It has taught me to live life to the fullest and never wait for anything. It has made me set many goals. I am sure we all can come together and fight this virus. Stay safe, stay healthy!