My day does not follow a regular pattern anymore. There are very few things to do and a lot of time available which have made the days long and hard. Every time I start feeling bad about myself and everything that’s happening, I try to think of the privileges that I have in this unequal society and guess what, all the bad feelings disappear instantly. I wake up early because if I don’t, I have trouble sleeping and I’m not one to stay awake all night and sleep in the mornings, because I feel this destroys the purpose of day and night. I have breakfast with my family which is more like a brunch as we have decided to reduce our daily meals to two so none of us gain weight in these nonactive days. As for the rest of my day it comprises of Netflix, attending online classes when I have to, doing some of the house chores, trying out a new recipe, praying four times, playing Ludo with the family and finally dinner.
I miss eating out. Being a foodie, I have loved eating outdoors be it any cuisine. Sure, you can cook a lot of stuff at your home but the feeling and the taste (at most occasions) is just not there. I also miss hanging out with my friends and having doodh patti (milk based tea), I miss what would have been my last few months as a bachelors student. The fun week that we would have had was supposed to be full of exciting events such as the Character Day where we would dress up as a particular character and enjoy ourselves. I miss going to the park for a run, over hearing conversations as I run past. It is surprising how we used to say that we don’t have the time for friends and family whereas now it is the thing that we miss the most. This is meant for people who never seemed to have time for family dinners and get togethers as they were very busy in their personal lives.
My elders have a certain opinion about the present. As a person who has missed very few days for work in his 25-30 years of being in business, my father is eagerly waiting to go back to work but at the same understands that the situation is far from being in control and he is horrified about the casualties in China, USA and Europe. My mother who is a housewife is a bit agitated because the maids are only present twice a week and with no deliveries or take outs there is more pressure on her (everyone in the house is helping her though). My maternal grandparents (they live in the same area) are at home and everyone around is worried for them as they could be the most vulnerable amongst our extended family.
I wish and hope that we can overcome this period of stress and agony, start fresh and most importantly not take our life or anyone else’s for granted.
Omair Zafar
April 19, 2020, Karachi.
