Kaleidoscope

All I can see around me are the lives of people disintegrating into tiny particles and merging into the sand dunes. The thick smoke that’s holding the world hostage has zero visibility. No one knows what is going to unfold. Where all this chaos may lead. We are simply waiting in the line for now.

I wake up every morning with the weight of thousand paws on my chest wondering what has happened to the cat colonies that people were feeding but had to leave overnight due to loss of jobs. What happens to all the shelters that were running on donations? Who will support humans that can’t afford food, or wipe tears of a mother who has to pull her kids out of school? Hold a man’s hand when he cant make ends meet?

I scroll through Facebook to find people selling everything. Louis Vuitton bags have no takers. Ikea furniture has no value. Secondhand cars are a liability. No one is buying anything. Everyone is selling everything. A silver photo frame that once adorned face of a teenager with a smeared cake from the 16th birthday is up for sale. A lamp under which children played board games is going for half price. A bed where time curled up and dreams were cherished is going for free. A blender is half price and six dishes are thrown in for free to tempt bargain hunters.

Everything is for sale. Everything is being shipped. Everyone is on the move. But life has no takers. A virus that was meant to die travelled seven seas to come and take over the world. All we could to was watch from the sidelines.

Since the last few months, I have tried looking at life through a different lens. Living as an expat you are always on the move. Here today, gone tomorrow. This virus has taught me to appreciate the blue skies. It has given me time to see how the bright yellow shimmers like liquid gold on the butterfly in my garden. I have connected with forgotten friends. I have found time to cook my nani’s favourite pickle. I am reading the books that have been sleeping on my shelf for years. I am living my life in the constant purring of a tiny kitten found under my car.

In the middle of a pandemic, I finally learned to live my life!