Rebirth

Nature has its own ways of teaching us lessons, For the next 21 days, at least, we all are going to be at the same level; well, more or less, because we the blessed still own bigger spaces to live in, and have access to electricity, air conditioners, hot running water, high-speed internet and fancy gadgets that the larger population doesn’t.
But if you exclude these frills, nothing else is going to matter. Not the fact I’m a Hindu and you’re a Muslim, Catholic or Zoroashtrian. That you drive a Range Rover and I drive a decade-old Alto. That you have a cook who can cook a fine meal, while I struggle to grate, chop and peel on my own. That the number of visas stamped on your passport are way more than the bras in my wardrobe. That you can indulge in a personal trainer, while I gluttonously skim through online videos. That you can afford lavish lunches tantamount to a night at my humble homestay, while I struggle to pick a reasonably priced beverage in a considerably plush cafe. That you have an assortment of outfits for every season, while I wear yoga pants all year around.
It won’t matter anymore. Because this lockdown will sort our lives, just the way it’ll sort the air we breathe. It’ll tell us who’s here to stay, and the people we can do without, really. It’ll give us time to laze around in our pyjamas all day long, doing things that we’ve been yearning to do all this while. Entrepreneurs will transcend to accomplished artists. Bankers will turn into benign bakers. And the rhythm of songs will make accountants tap their foot to the steady beat. We’ll eat, feed each other even, piping hot rajma chawal with our loved ones, instead of sandwiches wrapped in cellophane. We’ll touch each other more, and the icebergs and barriers between us will finally begin to melt. We’ll learn new skills, and be more human, more kind, more happy. More compassionate, towards animals, birds and the beauty of nature.
So, love, you’ve got this. Cherish every moment, like the way you’d lick the wrapper of your favourite ice cream. Dive in deep, and come up rejuvenated, naive, like a newborn peering at the world through brand new eyes.