We humans are fast learners; at least most of us are. We learnt to live life in a completely different way that we never experienced but surely did imagine as a sci-fi concept. We could see ourselves surrounded by screens, thinking in a continuous flux of internet signals, not leaving our home, and most important of all, staying connected with friends without meeting them physically.

Sure, humans are social animals. We did not let go of our social behavior. While we started avoiding gyms, we started yoga as a mundane task. While we avoided going to office and work late hours, we learnt the importance of work-life-balance. While we avoided smoking, we learnt healthier ways of eating and almost detoxed our body.

Likewise, most of us entered in a very volatile natured market, called Stock Market. The stock market saw a short, uncertain yet intense shock as a result of worldwide lockdown. Many saw this as an opportunity and bought shares at “discounted” rated. Other rushed towards getting their accounts set up so that they can benefit from the loss which market saw.

The above said might seem to be generic but the beauty is, it is specific to everybody. We learnt many other things and completed many certifications to cope up with the trend so that we can publish the achievement on LinkedIn.

Most of us aren’t critical resources and weren’t called to offices. It saved a few thousand bucks that you would otherwise spend over the fuel of the car or bike or maybe for the public transport. We did not eat outside food and cooked at home for most part of the lockdown months and that, my friend, saved all of us a fortune. Believe me on this!

Other thing, which I would consider the most important of all, we did not smoke during this time. For many, they were fearful of the virus and others, the prices had gone too high. This again saved us a great deal and added years to our lives. In fact, this did not take years from our life any further.

Are you wondering where did all this money go? If yes, then I was talking about this skill to have learnt. It is not all about money that we saved during the lockdown. We talked on several important issues that are generally ignored. We learnt how we were skipping the importance of hygiene. We dealt with mental health issues and heard leaders talking over it. We indulged ourselves in things that we would love to do as a child but forgotten over time and its pace.

We did mop the home; we did the dishes. We did clean our toilets; we did wash our cars. And imagined how we can go on rides and drives when there is no pandemic whatsoever.

Now, as I write, the world is opening again. We can go out but being careful. Masks are the new facial accessory and sanitiser is the new lotion that we apply frequently as we touch things. The pandemic caused many painful deaths but for many, it taught us good lessons. The lessons that are worth remembering for rest of our life, or maybe till some other pandemic breaks out.

We should remember this time and continue to focus on what’s important, like we did during the lockdown. We can go on the rides and drives that we craved for months, but Covid-19 is not yet over. It took us almost a year and even now, it’s not normal. It is “the new normal” as they say.