The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #4

I totally agree with Swetha Kumaraswamy here ! If you have not roped in all in your family to do the chores, it is time to do so :> 

As a “work from home” woman, I had things perfectly scheduled. Well, at least, that is what I thought! Workout at the gym; pack lunches; send husband and child off to their respective places of work/study, and then begin my day. This worked absolutely fine until COVID 19 hit.

When we began thinking about a potential lockdown, my mind was racing to figure out the dynamics of it all. Can I balance my work (well, since I always worked from home, my status was not going to be any different- just more challenging)? I was aware that I would have my husband hanging around the home much more than he usually did- panic! My child’s summer vacation was just going to start earlier and no option of spending time outside the home- more panic! Oh, wait! My help would have to be given time off too—OK, shit officially hits the fan!

Day 1 of the lockdown, I find myself pleasantly surprised to see things falling in place. There seemed to be some order in all the madness. My daughter doing her bit washing vessels, ensuring the washing machine was turned on, and even doing a bit of mopping. I held my breath—Am I dreaming? Hubby charmingly does breakfast, cleans up after dinner, and even offers to chop up some vegetables (in between his crazy meetings). Am I dreaming? I must be, right? Nope, All true!

We are on Day 5 of the lockdown and this crazy but effective schedule continues. Meals get prepared (some good ones too!), assignments are submitted on schedule, and we are not pulling each other’s hair out. So, I guess it is all ok!

If anything, I have been awfully wrong about family dynamics. When it is time to contribute everyone does! 

Swetha Kumaraswamy

The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #3

Count on Annie to balance gratitude with creativity and productivity! 

It’s another new dawn and stay at home day. As I wake up in the morning, I think of the Supreme Being in my mind, heart, body and soul. A new habit I have inculcated these days. It just takes a minute. As I began my activities for the day, like many of us I feel helpless sitting at home, even though staying home is the biggest need of the hour. It’s like this, if we heal ourselves, we heal the world around us and those happy vibrations expands out in a ripple effect. Let us all spread our rays of sunshine in ways possible to our family and friends around us! Definitely by staying at home till our government says otherwise! And till then: 

Things to do during lock down

1. Gratitude board

Make a board or a collage of photos for all the blessings you are grateful for.

2. Everyone in the family can wear their best Sunday dresses and can take a cheerful family photo (selfie)

3.  Make a Nature journal

If you have a garden, look at it and write few words about Nature and what it means to you.

Otherwise, look at your favourite Nature photo or art, and write a few words what nature means to you.

4. Happiness music

Make a good playlist of music that makes you really happy and uplifts you and make sure to listen to them.

5. Happiness Dance

Dance or make some graceful movements to the music you like.

6. Meditation.

Just relax and be in the present.

Visualise yourself before the presence of God for few minutes every day.

7. Act of positivity

Do something that makes you feel positive. Even a simple thing, like eating a vegetarian meal for the day, like avoid watching TV from the couch most of the time and doing some pending work around the house.

8. Create

Do cook an item, write an article or make an art or draw something or paint.

9. Make some good changes (interior design) in your room.

Even shifting furniture or adding indoor plants or décor the walls.

10. Read inspirational articles or books.

11. Zen activity

Take a Zen topic like a serene garden, paint with watercolours or colour pencils or if you have a garden, create a Zen space (a meditative space) in your garden. You can create a Zen space in your room too.

12. Mandala art

Do rangolis or kolams or mandalas in paper or any other media and colour it. It increases focus and if you do repetitive patterns, good for your moods too. It will keep you calm and serene too, like a repeated mantra.

13.  Blessing affirmations

Write a list of minimum 27 blessings in your life to as many in number and thank God for each one. You can even make an audio file out of it and listen every day in the morning and night.

14. Sing your favourite devotional song and record it in your voice. This audio file should uplift your energy higher whenever you hear it.

15. Make a new item out of something old.

You can paint an old furniture or an antique piece however old or big or a waste item and find a new ornamental purpose or a functional use for it.

16. Do a simple and funny act or humorous act and ask one of the family members to video record it or take a photo of it. Especially if you have children. It should be healthy humour.

17. De clutter all your social media. Clear up your emails and spam and clear up your electronic devices like mobile, laptop etc. It will bring good energy vibrations to you.

18. Inspire your children so that they find innovative ways to engage themselves. Ignite their imagination and creativity!

19. As a family, sit and do big puzzles or some crafts together. Pool in your ideas, brainstorm with your children and do some family projects. Play some indoor games. It will be more fun if you invent them.

20. Make sure to have all three meals together as family. Say graces before every meal. Every family member can take turns to thank God and all the people who are taking care of us during this pandemic.

21. Vision board.

Have a vision for all the things you want to do in your life once this pandemic gets eradicated. Set some goals. Visualise a few dreams. Write them down and make a vision board for your room. Add some photos and inspiring articles to your vision board.

J Annie Vanitha

The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #2

Happy to share Jayalakshmi's thoughts! Seeing the positive side of things and grateful for them.

Dear Corona, 🦠
Thank you:
1. For increasing my planning skills
2. For making me to realise my efficiency
3. For increasing my belief in the UNIVERSE and faith in GOD
4. For making me to understand my strength
5. For giving us an opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with our loved ones
6. For giving nature the time to heal on its own

Yours truly
Jayalakshmi
(A proud and busy home maker)

The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #1

Personal story #1 - The unrecognized Management gurus

Last week has been a blur. All I can recall is the mad scramble to finish the cooking, cleaning the vessels and the kitchen, cleaning the house, taking care of the garden, all by 9 O’ clock am so that I can start my work from home at a decent time.  It is a repeat after 5 pm till I am exhausted.  But this is not a piece about my ‘plight’.

Today with one week gone without any help, I took a pause to reflect if I can manage this better.  Then it dawned on me that all I had to do was to recall how efficiently my help at home would plan her day and even the week.  She had allocated certain days for certain chores, carefully choosing lean days for heavy work.  For instance, she would consciously avoid taking up non routine work on a Saturday when all the inmates of the house are hanging around.  Mondays were for some tough work, as she would have come refreshed after the Sunday break. Even within the day, she had a specific order in which to do things. And she would smartly take breaks and arrange the chores, so she is not exhausted. As I was staring at the sink full of vessels, I understood why she would use certain vessels for certain food and quantity (cook and serve ones for lunch, and others that could be reused to make multiple items with mild scrubbing).

And I realize that the lady who does cleaning also has it all charted out: as I was sweeping and mopping, I realized why she had a ‘route’ to follow within the house – one that avoids footfall and takes the dust away from the main areas.  

It occurs to me whether it is a driver or a security or housekeeping or a gardener, they all have a strategy to go about their work in an efficient way, something that we probably don’t recognize.

And here I was, leaving all the ‘planning’ for my professional work, but going nuts managing my own home! I wish I had asked them to make a presentation to me (pretty complicated I am sure with flow charts and multiple scenarios factored in) to cope during these times.  They may not use the smart arts and the jargon, but I have a feeling it would turn out be much more fascinating than the ‘work’ presentations.

So, now I know who to ask if I want some pragmatic approach to a situation at work – the Management gurus who run my home and your home!