“Working from home? How it can be done? No way! I don’t think I can do it”. That’s what he was thinking when he was told everyone might have to start actually doing it. His wife/coworker was a bit enthusiastic to give it a go. Remembering the immediate weekend after they had started working from home, they ventured out to Dandenong Market, and few other Asian shops to buy fresh veggies and some Asian groceries.
“Are you guys crazy?” scolded their daughter, “just think how many people you may have come in contact with in the market/shops?” She was damn serious. For the next 2 weeks, he did not set his foot out of his house except for the regular walk around the block, on which Crowe and Cappy kept giving him kudos without even properly looking at the route which was always the same. The distance walked was always between 7.1 to 7.3km depending on how many time he had to walk onto the nature strip to allow 1.5m clearance to the walkers coming from opposite direction.
To give some variety to his iso fit schedule he joined a weekly zoom dance session (for couple) with few other friends. His wife had to stop this session when she injured herself in another zoom exercise session with the ladies.
When Ian gave a look during a Team’s Video conference: “Who is this guy? Is he a Council staff?”, he decided to shave for his upcoming birthday.
Easter break was fruitful for him. Finally he opened the box of the metre saw for first time, which Stanley had helped him buy in Bunnings a year ago. With zero skill in woodworking, he made a couple of planter box stands, which he thinks is an achievement.
He learned during this strange time what is and what can be a meditation technique. Keeping your spine straight watching your breaths, body sensations, body scan and your thoughts is not only the meditation technique. Being aware and being at the present moment while picking slugs from veggie leaves from your raised veggie garden and transferring them to the compost bin is also a meditation technique. Planting herbs and watching them grow can be another if you like.
On the coldest evening of April, after finishing second bowls of dozens of momos drowned in superspicy momo-sauce with a “Patiala peg” of gin & tonic he silently declared:
“We Homo Sapiens have ruled this world. We have overcome the Spanish flu, Sars and Ebola. We will definitely win this fight (against Covid). This will be the test for us to transform into Homo Deus. The day is not that far now. I will again be able to freely walk from Café in Demand with my extra hot latte cup in hand towards the first floor of 1230 Nepean Highway.”
