10 Things we can never take for granted once this Apocalypse is over

The story of 2020 is nothing less than a bad dystopian novel. This Godzilla named COVID-19 has left the streets barren, the homeless in plight and essential workers overworked. Everyone’s in a constant state of despair. The government has declared the first phase of Unlock due to economical reasons, but cases in India do not show any signs of reducing soon. However, it’d be idiocy to assume that we have now returned to a state of ‘normalcy’. Because we haven’t and we can’t. After surviving this historic, devastating pandemic, we need to look back at our actions and realize our mistakes. Most importantly, we must start appreciating the ordinary but invaluable things in life. Because you never know when it all could disappear. Here are things we can never take for granted once this apocalypse is over:

1. Essential workers (Doctors, Nurses, Hospital staff, grocery sellers, delivery people and many more)

   Essential workers stepped up to save the day like the heroes with masks as their metaphorical capes. We need to understand how difficult it was for them, their families, and yet they keep on doing it for us. In our new normal, we can never take our essential workers for granted.

2. Househelp
   If you had any kind of househelp, being stranded all of a sudden without their helping hands couldn’t have been easy. And being stranded in a pandemic with most of their employers refusing to pay them must have been much worse. From our privileged positions, we need to understand their importance in our lives and start paying as well as treating them appropriately.

3. Trains
   Other than Sheldon Cooper, not many harbour an alarming fascination for trains. Yet their absence left an immeasurable impact on the lives of one of the most vulnerable populations of our society– the migrant labourers. The importance of these empty vessels, that could have saved so many lives, will now be understood.

4. Going to college/office
   Not a lot of people are fond of these two places. But being locked up in your own house for months on end with limited social interaction can change that. Once it’s safe to travel as ordinarily as we can, we must appreciate the campus, the hideouts, the teachers from college so much more. The office canteen, the co-worker chit-chats, the water-cooler gossips will never again be taken for granted.

5. Visiting FamilyPeople staying away from their families always love their visits back home. Though many returned to their hometowns right before lockdown, a lot of them remain trapped at their current stays. After this apocalypse, we will cherish each moment spent with our families, in our hometowns, a lot more. 

6. Eating outLockdown did bring out everyone’s inner chefs and bakers, but we all secretly crave for a visit to the cute cafes and eating too much cheese at pizza places. We can never take the whiff of chocolate cookies from the bakery for granted ever again.

7. Chilling at Marine Drive

   

   
   People may have already started crowding it for their walks, but it’s not the same yet. The soothing evening with our special people as the sun sets and our conversations grow deeper will be treasured forever.

8. Meeting up with friends When Winnie the Pooh said, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”, it hit hard. All we know is that that first hug and hang-out after this apocalypse is going to be unforgettable.

9. SanitizerNo one knew how valuable that little bottle of gel could be until we entered 2020. As the hoarders grew selfish, many grew more and more desperate. Though soap provides a safe alternative, the portability and low-maintenance of sanitizers are appreciated much more. Sanitizers will surely hold a special place in a post-corona world.

10. MaggiThey scrambled for toilet paper in the west and we stocked up on Maggi in the east. Seriously, people bought Maggi as if a WhatsApp forward had declared Maggi to be a corona vaccine. These delicious not-so-5-minute noodles now haunt our dreams. And we can’t wait for the day when we can savor them again (and, of course, lick the plate too).
    
    2020 served as a shocking reminder of the fact that life is unpredictable. Everything we work towards can vanish within a blink of an eye. So, don’t forget to appreciate all little things in life, as we move forward towards building a new normal,  What other such things will you never take for granted after this apocalypse? Comment down below and let us know!
    

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