Writing Prompt | Lockdown | Mindfulness

Self Discovery

My answers to a lockdown writing prompt

Besom & Bletherskite has tagged me for a writing prompt in her latest article

which itself comes from 12 great questions, asked by Keno Ogbo in her article

And I feel like this is a good chance to focus on something while I’m struggling to find inspiration for my next piece of poetry or a topic that may or may not get some attention. Sharing our thoughts on a single topic is always a good chance to learn more about each other and share similarities and differences alike.

So here’s my take on the 12 questions asked.

1. What have you missed the most during lockdown?

I have to agree with Keno Ogbo here: Nothing. I already talked about my specific situation in older articles. Japan is not yet under lockdown by law, we are free to go wherever we want. Though safety precautions like wearing masks and using disinfectants are common sights now.

But even so, I rarely leave my home, other than going out with my wife and daughter on occasion, strolling through a park or just grocery shopping. I feel all too comfortable at home.

2. What’s the best thing about being in lockdown?

Again, tough question, I wouldn’t know. If I can shift the topic and ask “what’s the best thing about staying home 24/7?” then I’d answer being there for my daughter, seeing her grow up. I know my own dad worked from early in the morning until late at night, I only ever really saw him on the weekends.

Being able to stick close to my daughter from the beginning is a blessing. I can see all her milestones and achievements firsthand.

3. What has been the worst thing about being in lockdown?

The worst thing so far has been my clientele falling silent one after another. Since the lockdown has shut down many companies worldwide, work in certain areas has become scarce.

I still got some clients left whose work is independent of the physical situation. But a big part consisted of work tailored around the physical presence of big companies and startups, all have since withdrawn their orders for the time being. So my workload has reduced by approx. 85%. And with it, my income. Medium is a nice place to write on, but in terms of income, it doesn’t even cover 5% of that hole.

4. Who would you have liked to host in your home during the lockdown and why?

My parents. They are stuck in a real lockdown in Germany with many more cases than we ever got here. I’m sure they could do well with a vacation on a tropical island with sunshine and an average temperature of 30 degrees in these months.

And there are so many places here that I’d like to show them.

5. What have you discovered about yourself in lockdown?

Well, I’ve discovered my creative side, writing poetry. I started writing about personal things, like my three years with epilepsy, my journey to Japan, and more. I’m opening up more, sharing private things with strangers.

I discovered that there is more to writing than creating copy and receiving a paycheck. Though I still prefer my clients over Medium for the time being, if I have to choose where I want to allocate my time to.

6. What did you eat (or drink) the most during the lockdown?

Rice. And that answer doesn’t only hold true in terms of a lockdown. Rice is the number one dish here in Japan. Every dish comes with rice. Then you got Onigiri (rice balls) and other dishes. Rice is almost always part of them.

As for drinking, water mostly. And coffee. I’d like to say I drink more water than coffee, just to sound healthy and responsible. But I’m not sure if that would be true.

7. Apart from sleeping and working what activities did you undertake the most during the lockdown?

Playing with my daughter. I could sing to you all the English and Japanese nursery rhymes there are.

I’m still wondering why the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and… dammit…

We sing a lot. Playing around. Going for long walks where she rather sits on my shoulders and lets me do the walking. But it’s fun. When she laughs, you can almost forget about muscle pain.

And writing. Since I started here, I wrote quite a lot. Mostly poetry, but now and then I try to come up with something more sophisticated and profound.

8. Will you come out of lockdown heavier or lighter?

I think it won’t change much.

9. What resource has helped you most during the lockdown?

The internet. Medium for the writing. Youtube for entertainment, together with Netflix.

Oh, by the way, if you are a fan of “The Office” (the good version with Steve Carell!)

Then you might be interested to learn that a new show will launch soon. Space Force. Here is the first teaser trailer:

Without the internet, life would be so much harder.

10. What is your top tip for other people in lockdown right now?

I just hope that employees whose work has shifted to working from home during lockdown can reap some benefits, like more control over their schedule, more time with the family, and all that. I enjoy freelancing because I can finally be my own boss. And I hope that this lockdown gives employees a chance to achieve a similar feeling for their job.

If they keep doing a great job while being at home, I hope that companies will offer their employees to work from home in the future, should they wish to do so. I could never imagine getting back to a regular job.

11. How has lockdown changed you?

Not at all. Maybe I can say I’m more creative, writing poetry and all that. But I’m pretty much the same guy as last year. Just older. And none the wiser.

12. If you were to leave a ‘message in a bottle’ for the future, what would you say?

“Congratulations! If you are reading this, it means you’re still breathing!”

One last question, where are you?

Okinawa Island, Japan. Monsoon rain. Typhoons. And beautiful beaches I visit far too seldom.

I’d like to forward this prompt to a few people too. Trista Ainsworth, who had inspiring articles to the lockdown in the past and surely will have great answers to these questions.

Some other people that come to mind: Salam Khan, Dipti Pande, Selma, Ann K Frailey, Muhammad Zunair, Zsanyla Cabansag, and Timothy Key. I’m not forcing anyone. Just sharing on an interesting prompt. If you write something, please feel free to tag me too 😊

Kevin is an editor and writer for the ILLUMINATION and Polyglot Poetry publications. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. The links below are articles of other writers I’d like to recommend.