Operative word: Try

By Netnet Camomot.

THE lockdown, er, enhanced community quarantine, er, community quarantine has taught people to live with much less as their shoes, bags, and most of their clothes remain inside the closet and not coming out even after the cabin-fevered closet queens have come out to parents and siblings.

Parents and siblings’ judgmental views are also on a lockdown, er, enhanced community quarantine, er, community quarantine as they all try to continue living in peace within the four walls in which they’re now trying to coexist together. Operative word: try.

The new normal is here. Now you know that you can survive with two meals a day or even one meal a day, with each meal having only two recipes: rice and one viand. That viand can be fruit, instant noodles, an egg, sardines, cooking oil with soy sauce, or food seasoning. As long as rice and water continue to be available, you’ll survive.

Those who live in farms or have a backyard are lucky since they can have fruit trees, root crops, and veggies, they have some food to look forward to as they wait for the next harvest, while people in urban areas have to rely on stores for their food.

A financial expert was asked about the businesses he expects to flourish after the quarantine, and he said, Barber shops and beauty salons, as he himself already needs a haircut.

I gotta feeling people will not be buying more clothes, bags, and shoes after the quarantine. Instead, they’ll learn to save money for a rainy day now that they’ve realized that all they need are food, medicines, and Vitamin C.

Their grandparents and parents did set an example of frugality and simple living. But with all the material things that were for sale in malls and online stores, and the opportunity that social media offers to post them all online as the OOTD—Outfit of the Day—having many clothes and accessories became the norm.

But the Covid-19 threat has made OOTDs morph into pajamas and dusters. The social media influencer who can post these as OOTDs could be the most, hmmm, insensitive of all? Hmmm.

Heart Evangelista, however, posted a video where she’s wearing different clothes while staying home, probably with the hope that her post would inspire the madlang pehpohl to keep on moving forward.

But that’s the madlang pehpohl who now know what matters most in life, and that’s health. Covid-19 has taught them that health is the most precious wealth, and not even the elite is safe despite their millions in the bank as long as there’s no vaccine yet. The cures for now are to stay home, wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and social distancing. Kana ra gyud. Simple kaayo.

Frontliners are the ones constantly facing the most risk, so we should stay home to lessen their risk.

While staying home, please refrain from posting on social media your negative thoughts because being negative is good only for a Covid-19 test result but not for survival as it adds more stress to an already stressful quarantine.

For the truth and nothing but the truth on Cagayan de Oro, listen to Mayor Oscar Moreno’s daily press briefings. Simple, eh?

Talk of stress, I’ve chosen to read Marian Keyes’s “Sushi for Beginners,” expecting it to be as funny as her other books. But it’s not.

I want to laugh because “Laughter is the best medicine,” as the saying goes. Laughter reduces stress, awakens happy hormones, and helps in looking forward to an uncertain future post-Covid-19.

As Freddie Aguilar’s song goes:

“Tawanan mo ang iyong problema
‘Wag mong isipin nang todo
Baka ikaw ay maloko
Tumawa ka, bakit hindi
Tawanan mo ang ‘yong problema.”

The Pinoy is malambing. Beso-beso, hugs, ug moamin gyud sa mga gors. Covid-19 has stopped all these as the Pinoy switches to other malambing expressions now that he knows how viruses are transmitted. Even a flying kiss is no longer safe due to droplets and all that jazz. Flying kicks? Also not safe if his kicks manage to land on his opponent’s body.

Yup, the new normal is kind of cold as it forces the Pinoy to go back to the basics: food, pajama/duster, and shelter.

Please continue to stay home, and keep the faith. As the government now loves to say, “We’re all in this together.”