COVID lessons; a personal take

COVID-19 plagued the globe and turned it upside down. The pandemic disrupted millions of plans and took too many lives. Its impact has been huge and it will take us quite some time before we can recover. Covid-19 changed a lot of things. The line “Be positive”, was used to cheer someone up, but ironically it became a curse.

 I believe one cannot feel the full power of something until they themselves fall prey to it, or it hits close to home.

This is definitely true in my case. For sometime Covid-19 was an international pandemic, something people all across the globe were suffering from. But it did not take long before my perspective was changed.

When I went to get my PCR test done, I was terrified about being deemed positive. Only when everyone got their reports, I realized that being one of the only negatives among a group of positives wasn’t much better than being a positive among negatives.

I felt helpless as there wasn’t anything I could do to make my family feel better whose result were positive. Questions like 'Will I manage to look after them? What if I mess up and one mistake of mine harms them? Will they be okay soon? How long will this go on?' kept swirling in my head. The worst thing was I had no prior knowledge about how things work in the kitchen. I was very nervous and was freaking out.

I managed to stop floundering in my thoughts when my uncle called me. I was overjoyed when I found out that I wouldn't have to work by myself; my uncle would work alongside me.

There was no time for dilly-dallying anymore. We spent our days constantly working, taking care of everyone and the house.

That is when I finally realized how hard our mothers work all the time. I admire them for putting up with it every day.

We had to be very careful with the food. My family was weak and needed all the nutrients they could get. It was not an easy job and there were times I messed up too. But I somehow managed to get through it all.

Working in the kitchen with my uncle was something I never even thought about. I always believed I would learn to cook with my mother, preferably in better situations. I never thought my cooking escapade would be in this way. This trial definitely strengthened our bond.

 I can’t say COVID only brought bad things. I surely got a handful of experience.

At the end of this ordeal, I learned that things don’t always go the way you want them. Life throws all kinds of situations at you, and they’re not always the best. You have to bear it all, for that’s what gives you experience, and what strengthens you in the end. Sometimes, you just have to accept the negativity (or positivity!) as there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

"I am an aspiring student studying in grade 10 at Budhanilkantha School"