(Penned this when Covid19 lockdown was first imposed in India on 22nd March 2020).

It’s curfew time here in India. A time when we as a nation are staying indoors, staying calm and doing our best to stay safe from Covid19

It’s early in the day today, but so far it’s been SO peaceful. Loving the slowing down of pace these past few days.
We’re pausing between tasks instead of hurrying to the next one. We’re having long uninterrupted conversations with the patience that has been hard to find in the otherwise fast-paced world.

Even getting time to have causal catching up with people on the phone. I’ve preferred messaging to phone calls for the longest time, because of its convenience. But now I’m gladly finding the time to make phone calls where we talk at leisure, no hurry.

Small things, strange as that sounds, are making big differences to peace of mind. True family bonding is happening. We’re fully present in the moment. For myself, I actually have time to listen to my own mind. Things I push back most days “coz I’m busy”. It’s been overwhelming as I understand those things are becoming priority for me, as I’m able to focus on things that are more important in life. Because the outside noise is gone, I have time to just BE.

No constant ringing of doorbells today,
No running out for some oh-so-important chore,
Cooking what one needs to as and when one wants to,
Cleaning as things get dirty,
Literally going with the flow,
No sounds of traffic,
Nobody shouting on their phones across the road,
I can finally hear the birds chirping even till 11 in the morning,
Some new sounds I hadn’t heard before,
The quietness is addictive,
This self-imposed social distancing has brought me peace, of which I want more,
If anyone’s learnt anything from slowing down of pace,
Let’s do it even when covid19 is gone from this world,
Coz slowing down and living simply is not only good for us humans,
Even Mother Earth is healing in this stillness and my wish is that she lives healthy and forevermore.

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© 2020 Aanchal Nithin Prakashan All Rights Reserved.