Lockdown Diaries 03_ Things that I am missing

A famous song from the film, The Sound of Music goes like this… Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…… etc etc……    these are few of my favorite things!!!

Well, these are a few of mine which I’m truly missing in this lockdown!!

The first and the foremost that comes to my mind are the cycle rides!! Oh boy..I have missed mounting my cycle and pedaling off to places around Pune on the weekends as well the daily routine of the 10/15 km quick rides that I used to do on a regular basis. I miss the sweet noise the chain makes going down a slope, I miss the huffing and panting up a slope like Pirangut climb or the Mutha climb. I miss the cup of tea we have every now and then on the cycle rides, I miss the numerous photos that are clicked along the way on these rides. I miss updating the details on Strava( Oh yes, bragging rights are also  equally important!!)I miss updating the details of the rides on social media!!!

I also miss catching up with the amazing set of friends that I have. I miss dropping in at each other’s houses unannounced. I miss having a couple of drinks with my buddies over random conversations ranging from politics to films to sports . I miss making vague travel plans with our gang, of which some materialize some just vanish.  I miss going out with a great set of people for a meal or even a snack at the nearby fast food joint. I sometimes even miss  the dressing up part for a good night out partying with the crazy set of friends that I have.

The running schedules are also missed badly. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning to go out for a 5 /10 km jog gives me great satisfaction post the run!!Unfortunately, sticking to the mandate of staying indoors has made me miss those early morning jogs. Probably some of the stray dogs, the morning regulars also miss me…who knows!!!

I thought it was only me, but I have realized a lot of people are missing a hair salon!! Not that I pride myself on having great hair on the head like some fancy actor, but now the facial growth has started becoming a nuisance. I am missing those random TV programs, those cheesy songs that are kept playing in a barber’s shop along with some mindless chats in the barbers shop.

I miss all the little things that I never thought meant anything!!!

Anonymous

Workwise, I am missing going to my sites. Probably not missing the interaction with the clients, as much as I am missing the interaction with our Interior designing team. It’s always a great give and take of ideas on site to arrive at a beautiful end product which is appreciated by the client. The entire process of developing a bare shell into a comfy place called home for somebody else gives us immense satisfaction. That is missing since the past 2 months. Needless to say, a lot is missing from the bank balance as well!!!

Things that were earlier taken for granted like the noise of vehicles, which seemed like an everyday nuisance is conspicuously absent, the chaos at a shopping mart is being missed, the noise of children playing downstairs which was a nuisance for some, is now something that everyone is waiting for, the flavor of  a cup of hot tea at the local ‘chay tapri’ is forgotten. Earlier you could just walk down to the local grocer and pick up anything that you wanted at will. Now you got to really plan a simple grocer visit!! Never had I imagined that I will not be having a physical newspaper in my hand while sipping on my morning cup of tea. That feeling of reading, ‘fresh news’ is missing from the daily routine.

I am also missing the luxury of knowing that in case the fridge breaks down or the TV conks off, the technician is just a phone call away is not there anymore. The need for being a self-made Handyman has been realized which earlier was not so necessary.  I am missing ordering stuff on e-commerce sites which was a ‘pass time ‘ activity few days back!!!

I am sure these are a few of the things we all are missing.

All the little things that annoyed you so much , are the things you’ll miss when they are gone!!!

Anonymous

But, there are many out there who are helping out the society to stay safe like the police force, the medical workers, the cleaning teams who are missing their homes, their families just trying to keep us safe. There are migrant laborers who are stuck away from their homes without basic needs. There is a section of people who are missing their daily wages and have nowhere to go to. There are senior citizens who are all alone in their homes with their families away in some other places. They are missing out on a lot of things.

I am sure there are graver issues than the ‘trivial’ things that I am missing during these times, but like they say- This too shall pass and we shall emerge as a better ,stronger race. There is too much to learn from these things that we are missing. I am sure that each one of us will start valuing the small , simple pleasures even more and realize the importance of a lot of things that we just take for granted.

I admit,I really miss how things used to be.But i can also admit, that I have accepted the fact, that things change!!

Anonymous