My experience with the new normal

Freedom to step out of the house at any time of the day, visit to a favorite restaurant after a tiresome day at work, buying groceries during weekends, watching the much-awaited movie in a theatre…All of this sounds so mundane. Well, never take things for granted. This has been one of my biggest learnings during this lockdown and the ‘new normal’ it has induced upon us. Here’s my experience of the new normal and how it has changed things for me

I never thought I will crave to go out for a walk within my society premises. Normal things which I used to do on a routine day before the lockdown have suddenly become so special. Although this lockdown is for our safety, it has transformed our lifestyle drastically.

My work life experience in the ‘new normal’

The first few days of the lockdown were quite terrifying. One of the things, which occupied major chunk of the day was work. With offices closed, I had work from home like all other employees of the company. I have always preferred working from office. It helps you give your 100% at work and makes coordination with various people much easier. Also, the clarity that, while you’re in office you only focus on work and when at home you can relax and spend some time with your family has always been comforting for me.

In the past, there have been instances where due to heavy rains it was not possible to visit office. In such situations, it was still manageable to work from home for time being…for just a day or two. You knew then, that once the weather is better, you can go back to office. Thus, back to your comfort zone.

This lockdown, however, brought in an uncertainty of a different level. Even as the lockdown eases, the work environment won’t be the same. Like chatting with your colleagues at the pantry, team outings or even meeting with different people related to work. Although I am able to seamlessly work from home, I’m certain that the work environment will be very different.

Transformation in lifestyle

I enjoy being at home during weekends, spending time reading one of my favorite books, watching a serial or two and cooking some of my favorite dishes. Unless absolutely necessary, I didn’t like stepping out of the house. Well, before the lockdown there was an option to step out as per your whims and fancies and visit whichever place you want to go…Like it or not, it is feels good to have an option. Now that there is no option to step out of the house, I miss going out even to visit a nearest grocery shop.

I really like visiting my family in Mumbai at least once in a month if not more. All the sisters get together, have super fun and turn the house upside down. One of the few things which I miss the most is ‘Maa ke haath ka khaana’ (food cooked by my mom). I am a decent cook as well. But, even if I replicate my mom’s recipe to make a certain dish, it still doesn’t taste the same. Now, I get video calls/images from my sisters teasing me when they have some of my favorite dishes cooked by mom. That’s how I also connect with my family on regular basis. We celebrate birthdays and other special occasions on video calls (didn’t get any gifts for my birthday this time :-|, hopefully later).

Gradual acceptance

In all these alterations in my lifestyle and the experience so far, I have gradually found my balance of working from home. I’m spending time with my family, doing things which I enjoy and also making time to study. As per the famous adage, I feel ‘whatever happens, happens for good’. This experience has shown me how I can perform in adversities, overcome the challenges in these changes and has also increased my bonding with my family and team members. May be this is part of our evolution as human beings, this ‘new normal’ will become ‘normal’ for us soon and later on some other ‘new normal’ will take its place.

If you have some interesting insights to share on the topic please comment below or contact me here