Things You Can’t Buy in Stores – Circuit Breaker Reflections
By Vincent Low
Even though the circuit breaker has ended, the return to normalcy still seems a distance away. For some, we’ll start to shuffle back to the office according to the government’s safety regulations. But for most of us, it would be, as I'm writing this, 65 days (and counting) of working from home. I hope all of you are staying safe and getting used to working from home. It certainly is the “new normal” for now.
Admittedly, the circuit breaker has had a huge impact on us and prevented us from meeting our friends and relatives, but there are silver linings to be found and I’m more than happy to share some of my reflections during the Circuit Breaker period.
The 1st Wealth Is HEALTH
Since the start of the circuit breaker as many of us worked from home, I’ve managed to save a lot of time travelling to and fro the office and picked up a habit of taking a calming jog at the park nearby — twice weekly after working hours. Just hope I can keep this up.
It certainly helps to clear and refresh my mind, plus allowing some thinking and planning for the things ahead. I also found myself in a better frame of mind when the endorphins kick in!
People That Matter
I do love to cook occasionally on weekends. Cooking can be a therapeutic and great bonding activity. Needless to say, I did my fair share of it during the Circuit Breaker period.
Even though face-to-face meet ups aren’t possible during this period, we can definitely convey our love in many other ways to the people that matter in our lives! I was so happy that my folks and in-laws enjoyed every last bit of the flower crab and prawn vermicelli dinner I whipped up for them last month.
I had a random craving for some Japanese fare on one of the rainy evenings recently – and to the kitchen I went! The end product? Silky smooth Gyu-nabe (beef hot pot) and tempura for dinner. Not possible without the help of Lena (my wife). Though I spent about an hour after dinner cleaning up, I had no regrets! The family really enjoyed the dinner.
And for Mother’s Day, Lena and I decided to do something special for the ladies on our residential floor. We baked Banana Nutella loaves for all the wonder women! Well, she did the baking, and I wrote the cards!
These adventures in the kitchen gave me lessons I will never experience if not for the circuit breaker – the value of patience in the kitchen, the importance of using the right amount of ingredients and most importantly, to cherish and let the people that meant the world to you know they are loved.
Money Can’t Buy Time
As cliché as it may sound, you can have all the money in the world, and yet you can’t buy extra quality time with your loved ones. With every fleeting moment, the time we have left to spend with our loved ones decreases, so treasure these moments. There’ll probably never be another period in our lives where I’m blessed enough to have my family at home with me every single day. Having dinners and ice cream for desserts together or hanging out the laundry with the kids are treasured moments we take for granted during normal times.
And better yet, spread that love. Show it to your neighbours, friends and colleagues as well. Surprise them with a fast food breakfast or bubble tea delivery that will make their day. And it’ll also remind them how much you care and are thinking of them!
The Greatest Love is… to Love Yourself
It is especially important to take good care of yourselves during this period, both mentally and physically!
Throughout the day, take breaks to ensure you’re not mentally exhausted from Zoom meetings or staring at the screen for hours on end. Take a breather and refresh your mind with a book or even a funny video! Have some alone time too, to recharge your psyche.
With the additional time you now have working from home, why not also look at some courses online that will help you develop a set of skills over this period? I’ve had friends tell me they’ve picked up knitting, gardening and even dancing just from these courses and online videos! Keep upgrading and be a better person than we were yesterday.
Things You Can’t Buy In A Store
The things that I shared in the above are certainly what we cannot buy in any stores. Health, Time, Empathy and Self-love. Things that define and shape us. Things that are simple but yet priceless. Things we can be proud of. Things we should never take for granted.
So, time to say a few more “I love you” and “Thank You” and send a few more happy texts to remind those dear to you that they are appreciated and in your thoughts.
Remember to Live, Laugh and Love. Relentlessly and fearlessly!
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