Our Life during the Lockdown

One of my unusual pet when I was a kid is the hermit crab. I used to amuse myself with it by scaring it into hiding to its scavenged shell. I then wait for it to cautiously get out of the shell just to be scared again. Well, I guess our pet hermit (may it rest in peace) is now amused with us and probably saying "that's karma for you" because we have been living like hermit for 8 weeks now thanks to the government-enforced lockdown. 

The pandemic disrupted our lives and shook the very foundations of our society. We have read many stories of suffering, from health workers working in hazardous conditions to no-work-no-pay people who are now reduced to begging just to survive. 

So far, this is our life during the lockdown. 

Working from Home

Fortunately, my work can be done in a Work-from-Home (WFH) setting and our company allowed us to have this set-up. Thus, our family still has income despite the lockdown.I am also fortunate that I ditched Smart Bro and moved to a better ISP. 

Transitioning to WFH is not easy because there are so many distractions at home. The kids ruin my focus and I also allot time to do house chores since My Beloved Wife is pregnant with our fourth child. 

To make up for the loss time, I tried waking up very early during the first weeks of the lockdown. It did not work. It took me a long time to get my work-from-home rhythm. Now, in the eight week of lockdown, I managed to juggle work and family concerns.

Despite the WFH struggle, I still don't work during the weekends. I avoid, as much as possible, working at night unless the office concerns are urgent. 

Paranoia is Real

We experience some sort of paranoia during the first weeks of the lockdown. The news of the spread of the virus and the number of dead people scared us, especially my pregnant wife. She was afraid for her children who might be infected by the dreadful virus. Facebook, with scary posts and constant fighting, is also not helpful.

There were also times when I was not motivated to work. I feel stressed and tired even if I am just staying home. I guess this is what some call as cabin fever. 

What we do is to distract ourselves. My Beloved Wife made me cook lunch. We also have our merienda in the front yard so that we can breathe fresh air. We also watched less news or entertained ourselves by watching movies. 

Homeschooling the Kids

One of our concerns is the education of our kids. We do not know how schools will operate in the midst of the pandemic. My Beloved Wife decided to teach our children herself. She researched about homeschooling and we recently bought some digital educational materials for our children. 

We Pray More as a Family

The greatest tragedy for us is that we can no longer attend the Holy Mass physically because of the lockdown. We attend Sunday Mass via online streaming but that is not enough. Our souls hunger for the physical presence of Christ at the mass. 

Our paranoia pushed us to pray more. Now we pray the 3 O'clock Prayer and also pray as a family before we sleep. This is the best positive effect of the lockdown for us.

Going to the Grocery is a Big Pain

One major difficulty that I experienced during the lockdown is when I buy our needs at the grocery. The lines at the grocery store are long and I spend at least half a day to finish.

Public transportation is prohibited so I just used my bicycle. Unfortunately, there was a time when I walked three kilometers from the grocery as I pushed my bike loaded with a boxful of grocery items.

I am a smart grocer now because I bring two backpacks and plenty of eco bags so I can still ride the bike while I carry all groceries back home.

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Our family is somehow coping with the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Sadly, the end is not yet in sight because there will be third and more waves of infections. In short, our temporary incarceration at home will be longer than what we imagined.

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