How is this crazy 2020 life treating you guys? Are there still restriction and lockdown rules where you live? And how are you dealing with it all?
I came to the conclusion that the lockdown life in Mumbai feels a lot like playing a crazy video game in which we face challenges in each levels but also get rewards and perks if we pass said level.
So far in September aka "Level 9 of 2020" we are still stuck in the same limbo, the government hasn't made much changes to the rules of the game, or at least none that I really notice at this point.
We still get to go out for walks, all shops are opened, Malls are open (except restaurants and cinemas), and public transports are still very limited, out CM decided not to open the metro at this point and the number of local trains is still kept to a minimum.
The real perks came from my super crazy restrictive apartment building management which announced that this month they will no longer ask residents to submit an authorisation grant to get a repair guy our a maid to come. Our cook is relieved that she also no longer have to pay for health check ups every 2 weeks just to enter our building (and only our building).
We still get served regular dose of condescension from the managing committee via WhatsApp reminding us that all that each cases of Covid declared in the enclave is all our fault and we aren't doing our part, even felt the need to quote Joseph Stalin to make a point, because nothing sounds more appropriate than dragging the name of a communist dictator to drive a point home in this crazy alternate reality that is 2020
I'm at a point at which I welcome every tiny bit of thing that bring me back to what normal feels like right now :
Talking with a friend face to face, at home or in the park, going over to a friend for tea (social visits are allowed in our compound). Walking to the shops in my area to buy groceries instead of Dunzoing everything and being charged a bomb for delivery every time. Going back to a friend's home to teach her kids art once a week.
They really sound like tiny little trivial things, but the thing that I craved the most, ironically as an Introvert, was meeting my friends every now and then, and I felt really deprived of it for months. It's not like I need to see people everyday, but having that option to invite a friend over for a cup of tea and chat once in a while does wonder for my soul, let's not forget we are a social species after all.
This alone makes up for all the negative that this whole situation has brought us : loss of income, loss of work/life balance, and a significant loss of personal space and freedom.
It feels like every months, if not weeks, we are gaining a little bit more of what was lost, and that feels really great. At this point I can't wait for school to be back to normal, it looks like this will be the reward we get at the end Level of the Super Lockdown Game after defeating the bad Boss monster (whoever that is, and no I don't think it's the virus).
On other fronts, I keep myself busy with lots of creative projects at this point, squeezing a lot of doodling and creative work all through the day (whenever I have the laptop, or a desk), and have been working on the 2021 Printable Calendar, which this year I will release with a few changes in how I release it...more on that before the end of this month.
I also shifted to offering only digital download files in my Etsy shop because there is no telling when we will win back the right to send international post and parcels via IndiaPost.
I said it before, but the best way to keep track of what I'm up to is to follow me on Instagram, this is where I devote most of my social media time these days.