From day one of being born, the youngest of five siblings, I followed, I pleased and I obeyed everyone, such was the position and station in which I found myself. I grew up in a society that was changing its values, and unknowingly became the bridge of self-expression against traditions.
Rebellion was the order of the day, partly due to my order of birth that sufficiently suffocated any growth. Despite that stunted progression, the enjoyment of annoying those in authority, became my target.
Rather than self-sabotage my failings, I will open a window of my youthful rebellious nature. For instance, traditionally in my country, every day of the week had a designated colour; for example Monday’s designated Yellow, so the garment for that day was shades of amber..
It was a way to teach the days of the week for the less cerebrally gifted. Never wanting to conform, my attire on Monday was purple denoting power. Growing up was an uphill struggle, silently disobedient to authority.
So when forced to stay home, because of this world pandemic of Covid-19, my knee jerk reaction was defiance. Unfortunately, the consequences were dire, so I knuckled under and began my discovery of freedom in self-isolation.
My learning curve allowed self understanding:
The freedom of meal-times; eat when hungry vs dictated by work meetings.
The freedom of cooking exquisite meals or happy-go-lucky two pieces of bread with something stuffed in between.
The freedom to read without distraction; serious mind provoking literature or crappy magazines for toiletry functions.
The freedom to think philosophically without interruption. Expanding intellect or grappling modern diatribes.
Guiltless bingeing on Netflix’s latest, HBO or Amazon or any docu-series that starts with titles like Pandemic, Quarantine or 93 Days of Ebola.
Lonely? Video calls with friends, family anywhere in the world. Or pretend tindering.
List all things to self-improve. List all those that cannot be improved. Learn to be real.
Prioritize belongings. Unused items over a year, is sent to the garbage. No excuse for hoarding. None of these matter, if you are destined for near-future crematorium.
At the end of the day, when sleep is overdue, have gratitude for the day’s efforts. When dawn descends, with another day to repeat, thank the lucky stars. You are alive. You have lots to give. You have tons to receive.
