I'm mostly an indoors person even before the lockdown started. I prefer being at home than roam around in the city. I prefer home-cooked food than eating in a restaurant. I prefer solitude than being in a crowd. So I have no complaints about staying at home. Of course, things are different whenever I travel. I like to explore the new town/village/city than stay in a hotel room/resort. I like to explore the local food, local markets and even the grocery stores in a new place.
Cooking is something I truly enjoy but I don't do the other household chores like washing dishes, sweeping, mopping etc, thanks to my house-help who's been so supportive and reliable for the past 11 years. We have asked her not to come because of the lockdown.
For the past 10 days, I have also been managing these other chores. This experience has helped me realize a few things. Firstly, I'm extremely grateful to my house-help for taking care of these chores on a daily basis.
On days she used to take leave, I would feel bogged down by the overflowing sink, filled with dishes to be washed. I used to think that I hate doing dishes but I have now realized that's not the case. In the past few days, I've been doing the dishes 3-4 times a day. Clearing up a few dishes spread over multiple times in a day is a far easier task than tackling all of them once.
Sweeping the house is such a good workout activity, especially if I sit on my toes and sweep the floors. Mopping is also a good workout for the arms and shoulders. Our grandmothers managed all tasks by themselves, without any house-help. I'm sure I can manage too, during this unprecedented situation.
I have always been vigilant about food wastage. Careful planning, making lists of stocked up ingredients, eating leftovers for the next meal, cooking the right quantity for my family - all have become habits over the past years. This practice has come in so handy during this lockdown when supplies are limited.
I have managed to figure out a routine during weekdays that enable me to accomplish all that needs to be done at home, at work and for myself. Kickstarting the day with a 30-40 min Yoga practice gives me enough energy to handle all the tasks. I certainly don't want to wear the superwoman hat, taking all the load on myself. Prioritization, delegation and accepting the fact that not every day is the same - these are what's keeping me sane. As I write this post, there is a pile of laundry in front of me that needs to be folded. It can wait.
To be continued.