Whenever I feel down or hopeless, I think of the young kids growing up today and how scary and incomprehensible the world must appear to them. Going to school in surgical masks, being afraid of playing with other kids, and months after months of being stuck inside with the grownups, during our nearly worldwide lockdown. It was scary enough to be a child during my growing up years, I can’t even begin to comprehend how children and young adults today are coping.
That said, this pandemic hasn’t only been about bad things happening. I’ve discovered the personal power of one, well actually re-discovered it as I’ve always been a big fan of making things happen for myself. I’ve also cherished having been brought up an individualist and being someone who enjoys the pleasure of my own company, qualities (faults, some may argue) that have certainly come in handy in self isolation. I recently read a piece in an Italian publication where a scientist stated that this virus is a lot more controllable than we are led to believe and no different from how the flu is spread.
To make sure we don’t become its victims we should be washing our hands often, wearing a mask always and respecting other people’s spaces — all the time. Really, it’s THAT simple and we could have it under control, without any need for vaccines and lockdown measures.
So here are the eight wonderful, personal lessons I’ve learned from Covid-19:
Discover the moments — While I wash my hands to the count of 30 (hippopotamus) I try to think about my day so far and surprisingly, there are many great people whose faces usually pop up during this oft-repeated ritual. The girl at the supermarket who discounted the item I had in my cart just because she’s kind and I like saying hello to her, the driver who let me pass at the busy intersection even though the light was green for him, and the elderly woman who thanked me profusely for giving her my shopping cart at the exit of my local supermarket. I feel those are all angels in my path and if you take notice of kindness, you’ll be less apt to feel negative.
Love what you’ve been handed — I’ve grown to love the different gel sanitizers and look forward to the smell of some of them. I know which shop has which scent and I know many years from now I’ll smell this particular type of alcohol mixed with fragrances that range from rose to mint to watermelon and will be transported to a time when life slowed down and things didn’t seem so cruel and fast and self involved. It’s the pandemic equivalent of stopping to smell the roses.
Celebrate culture — I’ve realized even more the power of a great film, a cool addictive TV show and even some of the reality series that I never would have watched before — things like ‘Little Women LA’ which showed me how much courage these little ladies possess and how they carry that into their everyday life. I’ve loved watching ‘David Byrne’s American Utopia’ on HBO and ‘200 Meters’ at online film festivals, Sooni Taraporevala’s ‘Yeh Ballet’ on Netflix as well as short films like ‘The Present' and the collection ‘Homemade’ on Netflix. I’ve also rediscovered Ernest Hemingway and his books have shown me a time when another pandemic had taken over the world, but how differently that generation dealt with it. Try ‘A Movable Feast’ for some tales of Paris in the early 1900s. Oh, and please watch or re-watch ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ if you’re a woman. It will change, once again, your life.
Move as much as you can — I’ve also enjoyed this slowdown to begin exercising regularly. There is no “I don’t have time” excuse in place at the moment as time seems to be what all of us possess in large quantities. So setting aside 45 minutes each morning to do a whole routine from stretches to strengthening moves has made me feel in charge of my own life and health. Before the pandemic hit us, I had constant back pain and lately, I’ve had maybe one or two days of pain, which I’ve gotten over within 24 hours by continuing my exercise routine and stretching it off.
Clear up your emotional closet — I’ve realized what wonderful friendships really mean in this time. They are those people I think of when life seems unbearable and they check in with me from time to time. Some more often than others. I also got rid of friends who use words like “envy you” in their lingo when addressing me. I mean, really, there is nothing to envy but my spirit and that’s something you can train yourself to have as well. And also I’ve given the boot to some who don’t feel supportive. The world has shown us it’s not all about “me, me, me” and if you’re self centered and a wanna-be narcissist I say “buh-bye!”
Find a creative way to connect to others — It is a challenge to meet friends with some of the restrictions but you can always find other human beings in shops or while walking on the street. I mean, I don’t encourage going up to strangers in parks or anything like that, but I’ve found lovely conversations at Zara for example, chatting with women who are buying the same item I was looking at, etc. There is a sisterhood in shopping and as women, we’re lucky to have a place, an activity that doesn’t involve drinking or physical contact, to go back to time and time again when things get rough. Being a minimalist fashionista has always meant for me that less is more but right now, I mean, nothing is quite like retail therapy at Zara’s prices! Plus they have a 30-day return policy these days and you get to try everything in the comfort of your own home.
Make a simple thing a momentous occasion — Getting a haircut or going for a manicure in normal times was a chore for most of us. Something that needed to be done for a professional meeting or maybe even a spruce up for a date. But these days going to a beauty salon is a true luxury. It may not be here tomorrow and meeting with a cool stylist or beautician turns into a transcendental meditation of like-mindedness. Personally, I changed my hairdo, chopped off the lockdown tresses and went for a short bob. But it’s not just how I feel after the haircut that made for a wonderful occasion. I bonded with my hair stylist, giggled with the salon’s bartender, made a whole afternoon of it and came home as if I’d attended a great party full of cool people — all the while never breaking any laws and upholding all health measures.
Dream for the future — We may be stuck and afraid at the moment, but this will not last forever. Even at its worst, never forgetting the loved ones we’ve lost along the way, this virus will be a bad memory by this time next year. So instead of coming out of this hopeless and helpless, I’ve been planning my life in a year from now, and I mean planning it day by day. A lot of it involves going to do cultural things in person, like seeing ‘David Byrne’s American Utopia’ on Broadway — the show just announced new dates starting from September 2021 — and visiting my favorite horseback riding ranch in Montana. I mean, if you’re going to dream, dream big right?