Will Productive Quarantine include competing with your kid?

Ever since quarantine was the officially discovered and unanimously accepted cure across the world for the new global pandemic, we are basically refreshing our hygiene lessons. Other than looking up mobile and TV screens and the ceilings, what else can be do to have a productive quarantine ?

The online world is booming up with impressions, clicks and downloads, while the offline world is starving human relations. There are certain rituals that we have forgotten in the name of growing up and this would be the better time to refresh our knowledge and introduce the same to the new breeds.

Having buried themselves into online games for over a decade, the challenge is to help them realise the difference between the actual game and the online version of it. To them, the online Solitaire is more real and original that sitting down with a deck of cards sounded funny and surprising.

Unsurprisingly, It is not only them who needs help. All of us who were making excuses to do fun things quoting “I don’t have time”, have something to unlearn and learn a few things. Lets go back to your happy childhood days, when things were less complicated and more fun.

Learn – You are never too old for it

Your digital buddies are absolutely helpful, but you would have by now seen all those DIY videos and posts & shares on your friends’ walls and even the latest fashion statement with face mask.

How about you enrol an online course that will hone your skills? No, I’m not suggesting you to sit with your kid and watch the kinder garden classes. You are not literally competing with your kid here. But you are never too old to learn a bunch of things. Plus he who is wise never says he has nothing to learn.

There are plenty of online universities that offer video tutorials with certification. I suggest you pick a program of your true calling, a talent you are passionate about. If it has a decent market value if pursued a career, even more better.

Since we are part of the superior race, we don’t usually value something that comes for free. It would be better to go for a paid course even it is as little as 199 Rupees on sale. Considering that this exercise is self motivated, the fees will keep you hooked. Sorry, but we are programmed that way. Unlearning this would need another lengthy article, let us not get carried away.

Learning Online helps too

You may question, I even paid for my Gym membership, where did that push me? I hear you. My shoes are still in the gym locker and i haven’t seen them for a while. Unlike physical training, the best thing about these courses are:

• They are Online, so they are available on your Mobile
• You can take them at your convenience
• Pause and Play at your will
• Re-do it all over again until it hits you hard
• Exams and Scores are private

Do not bring up the online fitness courses. That is just blooming now and it should be categorised as your daily activity instead of learning.

Listen – Get to know your family

This may sound really weird, but have a chat with your family and you would realise they are indeed interesting people. Trust me, you will be surprised to discover that:

• There is Granny’s one story you have never heard before
• Your 4 years old kid’s secret super power
• That one Rom-com you thought is not her favourite
• Your super strict dad was once very naughty (tough task, but good luck)

You can also make it a PODCAST interview, with your evolved SMART phone. Self-assess and listen to yourselves too, you would end up with a surprising list of cool ideas you ignored to pursue, over the course of your craziness called, BUSY LIFE.

Entertain – Pick up that paintbrush

A productive quarantine need not necessarily be a boring one. After school or college, I bet you haven’t picked up that favourite paintbrush of yours. Or whatever was your interest for you then, you haven’t picked up your tools and thoughts about it back yet. May be its time to check if you still got the magic or just the tremors. Either way you have time to restore and recover.

It need not mandatorily be an art. You can pick from any of your own interesting hobbies. Listed here are some of the famous around the world.

• Cartooning
• Origami
• Knitting / Crochet making
• Soap / Candle making
• Clay Modelling
• Cooking

The most important thing is to enjoy it as much as you used to do. Do not however become food bloggers, if you are into cooking. The web is spammed with spammed with these zombies now. With abundant digital tutorials available, you can even master latest techniques in your hobby and even make it a side hustle.

Read – You will never regret

Now for those avid readers who were wondering why reading or writing did not make it to the list above. It simply won’t, as they both are something everyone irrespective of their interests should mandatorily do. Don’t u agree?

How could it be an option for people to choose, if Reading a book is like having a wise companion with you all the time? The choice should be only about the genre. You can choose fictions that take you to magical places or non-fictions that become real life inspirations.

Both reading and writing could only fall in the list of meditation, as once you pick them up, you would forget the world around and still be present.

Pray – Be grateful for what you have

Helping hands are better than praying lips

Mother Theresa

You don’t have to be a Miss World Beauty pageant to pray for World Peace. Be thankful for surviving this pandemic so far and for being blessed enough not to worry about your next meal and the ones next. There are still migrant workers who are still on their walk figuring out their future. Few did not even make it.

You could silently say a “thank you” prayer or even better offer to help those in need around you. You don’t have to walk an extra mile, just be generous when you pay your housemaid or your regular vegetable vendor, or even to that food delivery hero.

Happy Productive Quarantine

So, it is in your hands to make it a productive quarantine! You could be positive and learn a bunch of things like Rapunzel did in her castle that came handy when she got back to the palace or be negative like Neelambari of Padayappa wasting all her time plotting a plan for retaliation, that eventually failed.

As someone who always practice “ME TIME” or by the new term, “SELF QUARANTINE”, I am personally enjoying this. Two personal accomplishments – Earned a title “Socially responsible person” for staying indoors and finished reading the historical novel “Ponniyin Selvan” by Kalki Krishnamurthy that screamed to be picked in my wish list.

If you could acknowledge these and make phew changes to your life! You will thank me later!