Goodbye 2020, Finally

I want to go back to this day. 

It's two hours to midnight and it feels like the eve to the new millennium. Remember 1999? That time when we were so apprehensive what may happen when the clock struck 12. There was a lot of fear then that computers may break down because of the change. The clock struck 12 and there wasn't any disruption. 

Now it's two hours to 2021 and all of us are hopeful that the new year will be better. Admit it, you're probably hoping that the new year will just magically wipe away the ugly year we've just been through. I did not sleep a wink last night. It was a side effect of the strong medication my doctor gave me. And yes, I'm hopeful that when the clock strikes 12, a magic wand will wave and transport us to a better year. 

And that my friends is what hope is all about. The desire to be better. My physiotherapist yesterday interviewed me about my ordeal before we did any exercises. I told her that I took a walk at the park last week because I wanted to push myself. I cooked noche buena also because I wanted to have some form of normalcy. It did more harm than good because I ended up having a relapse (thus the strong meds). 

Our last family photo of 2020 before Miggy went home. 

My physiotherapist said, "It does feel like you're trying hard to push for normalcy. Do you feel like you're fighting it because if you just give in you might end up in a worse situation?" She understood perfectly how I feel and I'm exhausted from fighting. I told her I feel defeated because we keep going back to zero. We make progress then I get sick and then we slide back to the beginning. She said that these are just little humps on the road and we just need to keep fighting. I'm lucky she's my physiotherapist. 

And that's just like 2020. We're all in this fight to defeat this virus. It is exhausting, but remember you're here today because your grandparents or great grandparents survived the pandemic. The new year may not be the miracle salve we're looking for, but a new day and a new year always brings promise. 

Happy new year everyone! Praying for a blessed and safe new year for everyone. 

CB///266 #StuckAtHomeDay/296 #StayHome #BeKind

200 Days of This New Normal Life

Two hundred days ago we were told to work from home. I remember that day very well. It was a Friday and something strange was happening in our lobby. There were a lot of cleaners and I told myself, "Wow! They're making an extra effort to clean up!" 

Thirty minutes later I found out why. The day before a patient from another building tenant was picked up by an ambulance. He was one of the earlier patients who got infected. If I remember correctly he got infected from his parents who picked up the virus from patients zero (this was in news reports). I said a little prayer for the patients and thanked my angels for keeping me at home the day before. Later that day we were all told to work from home. 

This was the last time I was at the office, March 13, Friday, 7pm.

Working from home wasn't new to me. I did that for five years in Manila and then I moved to Singapore. We get super busy, but we still make time to have lunch together. That's the first thing I started to miss since Sweetie was still going to work for a few weeks before they were asked to WFH too. Secondly, I missed the prepared food and after meal coffee I would get with my seatmate. Sometimes we'd head down to Starbucks or Gong Cha for some merienda. I also missed the daily commute which allowed me to spin Pokestops and Inns (haha). And sometimes after work I take a walk around Harbourfront Centre/Vivo City before I head home. 

Last meal out before the circuit breaker started.

April was a flurry of activity. We managed to move apartments then. It was quite stressful, but it was a huge relief to move to a safer home. By May I was going bonkers and that's when I started baking and gardening. Eventually I accepted the fact that things will be uncertain for a longer period. I just needed to adjust to the new normal. 

Now that I'm used to living this way, I cannot imagine going back to the office. Sweetie now goes to the office two to three times a week. I only go out when I have physiotherapy or a doctor's appointment. We think it's better to just stay home for now since there are still random cases popping up and I'm still a high risk person. 

I was surprised to find out that wearing masks wasn't required yet last March. 

This was taken when we were new-home hunting.

I was chatting with my Ate last night and I told her that I am just so grateful that our family has remained safe and healthy. We try to help where we can. Here's how I cope -

(1) Pray

(2) Purposely disengaging from work at an appointed time everyday

(3) Follow my doctor's orders to live a healthy life

(4) Not spend so much time on social media (it gets quite toxic!)

(5) Work on my hobbies 

(6) Blog everyday (it's a challenge for myself, but writing keeps me sane)

(7) Check on loved ones (and nag the son every few hours)

I made the mistake of throwing myself at work. I worked 14 hour days because there was so much to do. I ended up sick so that's the first thing I worked on. Then I thought about how I could make things better everyday. I have days when things get quite stressful, that's when essential oils come in. I have friends who are still having a hard time, I'm just there whenever they need me. 

What about you? How have you been coping in this new normal?

CB//171 #StuckAtHomeDay/201 #WFH117 #StayHome #BeKind