Shreya Shively

Anxiety and fears have a way of creeping up on you when you least expect it. Specially these days. Yup, not a fun post.

1. Falling sick. This is probably a universal fear at the moment. But a lot of us in office were continuously sick since Oct’19. And you’d think we’d be used to it by now. But even the slightest feeling of a scratchy throat now sends me running for green tea with honey (probably the only thing that sends me running for green tea).
2. Wondering what pajamas do to self esteem. Remember those times you dressed up and felt good about yourself? Remember when that last happened?!
3. Updates of people stepping out and hanging out with other people. I know, I know. Live and let live. Except I’m not sure if the letting live here is actually endangering lives.
4. Being far from family. Times like this make you question your life choices more than anything else. And I constantly find myself imagining worst case scenarios. Yup, cheerful place, my head.
5. The fact that time isn’t actually standing still. That we can’t just cancel 2020. That when the jokes die down, we are in fact growing older, losing opportunities, and the clock is still ticking.
6. The fact that I have to stay away from news to maintain sanity. And then half panic about not knowing what’s happening in the world. And look up the news. And then panic about what’s actually happening in the world (or our country for that matter. India makes up for 99% of panic / frustrated mode on most days).
7. Lizards. This is just a constant. What’s worse than being stuck at home? Being stuck at home with a creepy crawly.

It helps to be lazy, sometimes.

1. Roti / Chapatis have no real reason to be round. They phoolo / taste just as good if they’re square or look like the map of India. Making them round is just some unrealistic expectation put on people to make them feel inadequate their entire lives. (So what if you’re a CXO, can you make round rotis? What will you do when you get married?)
2. The house doesn’t need to be cleaned every day. Or even every alternate day. Twice a week works. Or even *cough* once *cough* a week. Wear slippers so your feet don’t make you realise just how dirty the floor is. Or don’t have white tiled floors. Or well, limit your eyesight to the upper half of the rooms.
3. Somedays, the bed is just fine to work from. We’re all allowed our can’t-get-out-of-bed days, okay?
4. Khichri doesn’t get enough credit. I feel bad for all the times I made a face as a kid when khichri was served. Now, it’s turned into our lockdown savior.
5. Maggi is over-rated. There’s really only so much of it you can have, beyond a point.
6. You actually only need a total of 5 t-shirts and 2 shorts / pajamas. Lesser if you’re diligent with washing.
7. Zoom calls don’t need to be video calls. You don’t HAVE to look good. Messy hair, torn clothes, minimal grooming, no differentiation between night / day. The camera on your phone / laptop doesn’t HAVE to work *wink* *wink*
8. It pays to join the society Whatsapp group. We’ve been here 6.5 years. We joined this group now. Because for the first time in our lives, we realised we need to know what’s happening in the society. When the vegetable vendor is coming. When we turned into a containment zone. We also end up privy to a lot of uncle-aunty talk that’s hilarious at best, and downright family-group material at worst. Either way, it’s part of our minimal lockdown entertainment. (I’ve witnessed more fights on this group than on Splitsvilla).

It’s that time of my life-cycle. That horrible pressuring time. It had happened seven years back. When suddenly everyone around me was getting married. Like ducks in a row (never thought I’d use that line). Every day was a call / message from someone about their upcoming nuptials.

And while you’re happy for them, you can’t help but feel that tiny thought creeping into the back of your mind. The one you try to ignore, but it’s there, like this annoying presence that keeps knocking like Sheldon, the more you try to unsee & unhear it.

At one point, A had finally turned to me (just after both his best friends had announced their engagements) and simply declared, “Listen, are you going to marry me or not?” Yeah, I know, romantic moment of the century.

The point is, we gave in to the pressure then. It’s been 6.5 years. And I’d be lying if there weren’t times when we both questioned if we fell for this societal farce too soon.

And now the next cycle has started.

Just like how your parents lied to you about your Board exams (Bas isske liye padh lo, then life set hai). And then came college exams (Bas thodi aur mehnat kar lo, good marks = good job, phir life set hai). And then you got a job (and realised it’s only mehnat and no life setting).

So after the pressure of getting married, of course, we’re at the next step.

Where EVERYONE around us is popping babies. Every call I get from friends in 2020 has been to tell me that they’ve had a kid / are going to have one pretty soon. I feel like our population is going to see a spike, and 2020 will have a new Boomer type term for all these lockdown babies (These Lockers, I tell you).

It got to me to the extent that I messaged a long-lost friend to confirm if she was pregnant (and had just not told me yet).

I typed this question before I even said ‘hi’. After probably a few years of not talking to her. Yeah, I’m a great friend that way.

Sadly, unlike tuning out shit news by news channels, I can’t exactly tune these friends / cousins out. And I genuinely am happy for them.

BUT I’M NOT FALLING FOR THAT SHIT ANYMORE.

They warn you about not taking up smoking / drinking / drugs because of peer pressure.

This is way more lethal.

Trust me.

P.S. Given how much life and plans have come to a standstill in 2020, can we somehow pause our biological clocks as well? I mean, just to add one more year to the point where I try to switch the concept of a baby in our lives with a cat.

Some days I wonder if I should start these blogs with a ‘Dear Diary’, because that’s literally what they are. Ramblings from my mind spat out on a keyboard, with absolutely no regard to whether they’re reading worthy or not.

But then, that’s what I love about this.

I once had someone ask me if I put aside some time in my day for myself. And I said, of course, I read, I write, I often watch shows and films by myself. Alone time is important to me. And she smiled and shook her head. I mean, by yourself. Just you, and your thoughts. Doing nothing else.

Well, won’t that be weird? I thought. How can you just sit, and do nothing?

But somehow, that’s the one thing I keep coming back to in this lockdown. As I type this, most of the world is up and about. In fact, most of this country is up and about (I really wish they weren’t, given the state of things). But nowadays, I find myself gravitating towards this alone time more than ever. Just me, with my thoughts. I long silence. I try to catch moments when the television set will finally be switched off (trust me, in our house, that isn’t very often), when there is no song or video playing in the background, when nobody is talking. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I find myself sinking peacefully, my thoughts surprisingly presenting themselves in a well organised manner, politely, with permission. And it’s becoming a part of the day that I look forward to, even though I don’t know when it’ll happen.

Yesterday, I decided to make it happen. Instead of our usual coffee date, I made coffee for myself, and sat on the sofa, no cellphone, no laptop, nothing else within reach. It started to rain, and I spent the next fifteen minutes looking out at our non-existent balcony. I saw the building in front of me, with multiple people looking out of their non-existent balconies in a scene almost reminiscent of a Pascal Campione art piece. I saw the boy who sits at his balcony every day, legs dangling, playing with his football. I looked at the housewife chatting away on her cellphone, her baby hanging from her hips. I saw the house where the television set is always on, 24×7, and I wondered if they do that to numb their thoughts from presenting themselves, of ensuring there’s no alone time, no space to drown within themselves.

And I realised just how often we avoid ourselves.

Since I was a child I was taught to fill up my time with things. If you’re free, pick up a hobby. Help around the house. Go out and play. How come nobody ever teaches kids to sit down and just be with themselves? Mind you, I’m not talking about meditation here, I’m talking about quite the opposite of emptying your mind.

And as adults, it’s just so much easier to fill up your time with things, because there’s just so little time, and so many things. We spend more than half of our lives at work. And what little is left, is spent catching up on everything we’re missing out on – friends, reading, sleep.

But we need this time.

So take that cup of coffee / chai, and move to a comfortable corner of your house, and sit, and just be. Feel the restlessness, feel every moment of your brain rebelling against this freedom to bombard you with thoughts, fight the numbness, and just be.

Because this is who you really are.

And it’s scary.

And lonely.

And beautiful.

Just be.

P.S. One of the weird thoughts plaguing me yesterday was if Nolan thinks in different time & space dimensions when he takes some me-time. It seems plausible, no? Okay, sorry, bye.

Do you find yourself rolling your eyes each time you see a hot celebrity couple doing hot celebrity couple things with gossip magazines branding them #RelationshipGoals? Like, seriously, laughing together / holding hands / looking into each others eyes lovingly for the camera are your ultimate goals? Time to relook at some realistic ones, I think.

1. It isn’t about watching your favourite Netflix show together. Anyone can do that (and how many hours have you wasted watching your partner’s choice of shows & films?)! It’s when you can watch your individual favourites in two separate rooms in the house, and not mind it one tiny bit. #RelationshipGoals2020
2. When he volunteers to do the dishes, even though you both know it’s your turn, and neither of you makes a big deal out of it, because it’s time patriarchy died. #RelationshipGoals2020
3. When you can compare the hair growth on your legs to his, unapologetically. #RelationshipGoals2020
4. Having an entire conversation while brushing your teeth, the frothy toothpaste leaking out everywhere… #RelationshipGoals2020
5. When he puts on a mask and goes all the way to the gate to pick up your Amazon parcel. #RelationshipGoals2020
6. When you’ve heard each other fart, but are still as attracted to each other in the aftermath. #RelationshipGoals2020

Yes, the list just goes on and on, doesn’t it?

1. There is absolutely no real reason to bother ironing your clothes. I mean, we’ve all stopped using the video function of our office Zoom calls now, haven’t we? And do you really really care if your pajama is wrinkled? Aren’t you just going to lie around all day in it and wrinkle it further? (Or maybe even iron it by body weight & heat if you lie around just right).
2. There is such a thing as too much Maggi. I never thought this would happen. It has always been my go-to savior. Until I finally made a face the other day at it. This, kids, is the real doomsday.
3. Our utensils are cursed. Or charmed. But really just cursed. Remember the Gemino curse from Harry Potter? Where everything just doubles on touch in Bellatrix’s vault? Yup, I’m pretty convinced that’s happening to our dirty utensils. Because WHAT OTHER LOGICAL REASON IS THERE FOR THAT NEVER ENDING PILE IN THE SINK?!
4. Crows are loud. And now, with less human intervention, have taken to cawing at the choicest of hours. Like just when you start talking in an office conference call. Or when you finally manage to fall asleep at 4 am. And all of you people complaining about koyals…really? Wanna trade with my crow?
5. Rain can be beautiful, when you’re safely tucked inside your home. Maybe add an instagram-able coffee cup to the mix. A book next to the cup that you are never going to get around to actually reading. No, wait. Who am I kidding? To me rains will always be about clothes never drying for the next 4 months. Or memories of wading through knee deep water. Or jumping on a dead rat and the squelching sound that ensued. Oooh, romantic, no?
6. Human beings are stupid. Because what other reason could you possibly have to step out of the house?! Yes I know the lockdown had to be opened up because the economy and livelihoods were at stake. But you, YOU reading this – chances are you stepped out in the last few days not for your livelihood you privileged ass, but because you wanted to walk on Carter Road / Marine Drive / some other overly crowded area. Like seriously – what part of the lockdown opening up translated into: I have never exercised in my life but TODAY I MUST WALK IN FRESH AIR and infect / get infected / possibly turn into a carrier without realising.

Just stay the fuck home, please?