Remember when gatherings were nothing but a common date among us?
Remember when traveling was the excitement of being in a plane to another land?
Remember when staying home was just us having no plans to go out?
Remember when everything was "normal"?
Yet, "normal" had never really been normal, actually.
"Normal" seems to be a once-upon-a-time story.
We wanted to go back to what we term as "normal".
But is it normal that we took gatherings and dates for granted?
Is it normal that we thought staying at home was just being in a building?
Traveling to another country is nothing but an adventure, perhaps?
How times have changed.
Perspectives. Emotions. Memories.
The times we would hold hands, hug, handshakes, joke around, being cramped up in the subway and buses during peak hours, and even queue with some frustrations as the person behind you keep bumping into your personal space.
We turned to video-calls, presentations, and conferences.
Technology had never brought us feeling so close before, but at the same time, we feel so distant from one another. I can see all of you in my 13" laptop screen, yet I can't truly see you. It had brought so many of us together again. Friends I have not seen for months and years are now connecting with me despite the circumstances.
If we are spending more time indoors with our loved ones,
brushing-up our cooking and baking skills,
working-out within the means of our homes,
cleaning and (re)organizing our haven,
and donating some of our items away,
read those books that have been collecting dusts on our shelves,
clearing out spam emails and unnecessary photos,
reconnecting with our emotions through art,
then...was what we had, normal?
The entire world had been forced to be confined within our homes. Some of us more than a month, whilst some of us (like Singapore) are going into our 3rd week of staying home. It's doing things to us. Loneliness, solitude, frustration, peace, hopelessness, and empathy.
We are suddenly conscious and aware of our existence in this world.
We realize that we needed a new norm.
We created new normal.
We start to put our existence into action.
We appreciate human connection more than ever.
We reminisce the nature and our need for it.
We are more than the things we did on a daily basis.
We redefine who we are as human beings.
Such a beautiful process to go through, when a forced circumstance brings out the best and neglected voices in each one of us.
Such a beautiful outcomes when the neglected voices are now heard.
Such beautiful self redefinition of ourselves when we are left with no choice than to connect with the inner self.
May we all come out of our homes more grateful for nature, outings with family and friends, the job we still have, money we can still spend on, and even a house and bed we can always go back to every night and day.