Groundhog Day. A sweet, funny, rom-com with a very original storyline. But I also was quite bothered by it. The thought of being caught in a time loop was somehow quite disturbing. Fast forward a few years, and here we are, living that movie. Where everyday is the same. “It’s time to wake up, Amma”, my toddler waking me at the crack of dawn is my version of ‘I Got You Babe’. Every. Single. Day.
It’s one thing to have a routine, but quite another when everyday is predictable. It’s a fine line. Which is which, is very clear to me now. Just the other day, to break free from this monotony, albeit in a rather small way, I thought of ordering pizza from this place that I’d never tried before. And oh boy, was it the worst pizza ever! It made me realize that maybe predictability isn’t so bad after all. More than anything else, it gave me the motivation to change things up a bit, which was otherwise running low, and dry. I didn’t want to be given a ‘bad pizza’ and have to eat it just because I'm sheltered-in-place. I decided to add a few new things to my day to try every few days. My list looks something like this:
1. Write down my workout plan (and stick to it!)
All those workout videos and pages that I’ve subscribed to on Facebook had to be put to good use. Just looking at those and making a mental note to self to try those out *someday* just wasn’t working.
2. A meal plan (and stick to that too!)
Knowing what you’re going to eat for your next meal is strangely relaxing. Helps you plan ahead, meal prep, make sure you have the right ingredients, and account for the calories and nutrition.
3. Learn a new language
Duolingo, here I come!
4. DIY toy house made out of the cardboard boxes
Been ordering so many things online. Let’s toy around with the boxes before it goes to the recycle bin.
5. Experiment with food
Add a new ingredient, remove another, substitute an ingredient for something else. And voila, you have a new recipe! This method will work. However, if you want it to work WELL, you need to know what pairs with what.
6. Container gardening
Perfect time of the year to start sowing seeds. I’ve turned to my spice rack and vegetable scraps to start the gardening process this year (Because a. I’m relatively new to the area and I didn’t bother looking up where the nurseries are located during the winter months. And b. even if I did know where the nursery is, it’d be closed now.) To see the seeds germinate and grow is something I look forward to every day.
7. Read
Get back into the reading habit.
8. Write
There’s a certain comfort in writing, even if it’s only for yourself. Especially in these distressing times. Knowpia is an ideal platform.
The thing is, this list isn’t brand new. It’s always been on my mind. But it’s funny how these unpleasant times that we are in now, can also spawn a certain determination and positive sentiment. I hope I see some of these to fruition this time.
And at the end of the day, I do want to remind myself that I’m not STUCK at home. I’m SAFE at home.
Stay safe, everyone!
