LOOKING AT THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Did it ever occur to you that there is a bright side to this very scary pandemic?  I'm sure, this has tickled your mind fleetingly once or twice or numerous times. 

This pandemic has brought out the best and the worse in all of us.  But  I believe that the plusses outnumber the negatives;  I for one has been counting and recording the good things that we, the people did and are still doing during these uncertain times. 

First and foremost is that we learned self preservation.  When people didn't have work, they found alternatives to earn a living or to augment their income.   We see a lot of product offerings on social media promoting self-made crafts, home-grown fruits and vegetables, herbs and ornamental plants.. 

Many started offering home-cooked meals and snacks, some found their old tried and tested heirloom family recipes useful which gave them an edge because they are already known in the market. 

Many found a way to help others.; if they have the means, they donated money, if not they helped raise funds using their talents or influence.  

We learned that staying home is not a confinement nor a sacrifice.  We know that by doing so, we are already saving lives.  We realized that being at home with the family is a blessing in disguise because it is  something that we have always wanted in the first place; but for one reason or another, we were too busy or too preoccupied with other activities. 

Staying home made decluttering possible, fixing the house, cleaning  drawers and other things that we can only do during vacation. We found time to decorate and improve our surroundings. 

We had the time to bake.  We even enjoyed doing that with the children.  Did you know that many a time, the supermarkets ran out of flour and baking soda?   I wonder how many hundreds or thousands of cookies were baked during this lockdown.  

By the way, have you tasted the pandemic pandesal?  In the Philippines it has become a craze, almost everyone is baking it or selling it that's why I jokingly call it the pandemic pandesal, it is very much promoted on social media. It is color violet, the pandemic color, yay!   Actually it is the color of the ube (yam) with real ube and cheese filling.  The taste mimics the salted caramel combination of the sweet and salty.  It is so soft and spongy, great with coffee, better than doughnuts for a change. 

We simplified our meals. There is never a time than now that we cooked as many pasta meals;  egg noodles, glass noodles and rice noodles because when we shopped for the lockdown, we thought that those are the easiest meals to prepare. 

We enjoyed gardening for reasons more than pleasure. Many of us planted veggies to augment our budget or just for the eventuality that when there is no food to be bought, at least we have a fallback.  Now our garden looks very much tended. 

At last we were able to read the books we never got to do earlier.  There was also time to play games and  watch Netflix with the family.  Most of all we had the time to unwind.  The two-week vacation a year given to employees is not enough, it would take at least a month or two to totally unwind, depending on how wound up we are. 

After four months of restricted movement, we are now concerned with helping boost the economy.  Didn't we see a lot of posts on social media saying to buy local?  "Help the farmers, buy their produce"; "buy taho (bean curd jelly) from the roving vendor",  "be generous in giving tips to those who serve;  the waiters, barbers, delivery man, the security guards and everyone who is trying his best to earn a living", they say. 

I can go on and on about the good that this pandemic brought us but most importantly,  I observed that many of us found our way back to The Almighty, seeking and pleading for help to end this pandemic. 

I myself is optimistic that something good will come out of this soon.  With our limited minds, we cannot understand, we do not know what to do but I believe that God willed this for a reason, for a better plan beyond our comprehension, beyond what we can ever dream of.  

Let us all remember that we cannot see the entire parade, we only see a part of the parade, the parade that is God's plan for us. 

So folks, don't despair.  Hopefully, the post of my good friend Nina that I'd like to echo here will put us in a better perspective. 

"Life is made up of special moments that make life worth living.  There are many cherished moments that are missed due to stress and the fast pace of daily life.  We MUST slow down and remember how precious it is to be alive" .