NORMAL - the most understated word until hit by a tragedy. As we grow older and older we hear ourselves saying these things more often - “I wish things would go back to Normal”, “I want everything same again”, “now, this is my new normal”.

A few months back when I fell ill due to flu, I wanted everything to back to normal. I had sleepless nights due to coughs and body aches. I was bedridden and I had no energy for 7 days. It is so surreal that when I write about it, it sounds so similar to COVID19. Well, the point I want to make here is that, just with an incident of flu, I started missing my normal life. I guess we never realize the power of routine or so-called “boring and monotonous life” until something happens. Everyone misses something of the past, no matter how small the change is.

Change has always been the and yet somehow we humans have always been chasing for the constants in life. Any routine performed over a long time is classified as normal and if something changes or goes out of place we crave normalcy or “wish everything goes back to normal”. That is the power of our everyday actions and routine, which we greatly undermine.

I never thought brushing, bathing, wearing a ponytail, driving a car, zipping up pants, cutting nails, sleeping sideways, combing hair, eating with hands, opening cans or jars, cutting an onion, openings a water cap, tying a shoelace or putting on socks or shirt would be something I will look forward to till I had fractured my wrist. Suddenly every activity which I never thought about it or even showed a teeny-weeny bit of appreciation became a thing of hope and a life goal. It is only then I realized to be mindful of every action, it could be as simple as sitting or standing, in other words, being mindful of my daily routine.

I realized it shouldn’t always take a tragedy (for that matter even Pandemic) to realize how lucky I am at any given point. I don’t want to take things for granted anymore or wait for something bad to happen. I want to be grateful and savor every moment of my normal life. I realized I love my boring and monotonous life.

I hope y’all embrace your normal life and choose carefully what becomes of a new normal.