Summary

The author reflects on personal insights and lifestyle changes experienced during the pandemic, including the discovery of hearing difficulties, reevaluation of personal priorities, and the realization of self-sufficiency in tasks previously outsourced.

Abstract

The pandemic has acted as a catalyst for self-discovery and adaptation, leading the author to acknowledge previously unnoticed hearing issues, which became apparent during masked interactions. The lockdown has also prompted a reassessment of personal priorities, revealing that some long-desired activities may not be as important as once thought. Additionally, the necessity of quarantine has encouraged self-reliance, with the author finding success and satisfaction in cooking, haircutting, and home exercise, potentially leading to lasting habits and a reevaluation of what is truly important in life.

Opinions

The author believes that self-awareness has been heightened due to the pandemic, leading to both encouraging realizations and necessary wake-up calls.
There is a sense of resignation about the need to prioritize tasks and accept that some desired projects may never be undertaken.
The author expresses a newfound appreciation for the quality and cost-effectiveness of self-performed tasks, such as cooking and haircutting, over outsourced services.
The pandemic's impact on personal transformation is seen as a potentially positive outcome, despite the challenging circumstances.
The author suggests that the enforced changes in behavior due to the pandemic could lead to a collective transformation with unforeseen but interesting results.

The Pandemic is Exposing Me

But maybe that’s a good thing

Being on lockdown has affected us all in different ways.

We all have different circumstances but there can be no doubt that we have all discovered new things about ourselves.

I’ve learned quite a lot about myself. Some realizations are quite encouraging and others more of a wake-up call.

Either way, I guess knowledge is power and it’s better I acknowledge these things now than wait for them to bite me in the rear later.

My hearing is actually quite poor

The other day I attended an in-person meeting for the first time since the lockdown began. We all had to wear face masks of course.

A few minutes into the meeting I realized that my colleagues kept asking me to repeat myself. At first I thought I was mumbling or that the facemask was blocking some of the sound when I spoke.

But then I realized that for the most part I couldn’t seem to make out what they were saying either. We kept going back and forth in frustration, asking the other to repeat what they just said, sometimes not even recognizing that the other is requesting for a repeat.

My mind seems to be trained to match the sound of someone talking to lip movement so when a person isn’t speaking clearly and I can’t see their mouth, my brain has trouble.

By the end of the meeting we were pulling our masks down to say our piece and then pushing them back up. I guess that defeats the purpose of the mask, but then again it was necessary to prevent a fight breaking out.

And it seems my entire household has lost its hearing, aka, my wife. When grocery shopping together, we try to social distance and not draw attention to the fact that we are together. But that never works because our discrete mumbles to each other through our masks eventually turn into a frustrated “I said we need toothpaste!”.

I also realized how dependent I am on subtitles. My ears used to be sharper, but now feel like they have to put in extra work when there is no text on the screen to help. Luckily enough, most people in movies don’t wear facemasks.

I just can’t be bothered for some things

I really wish I had the time to *insert long-term project here* — Me

I can’t count the number of times over the past few years that I’ve dreamt of having an 8th day of the week where I could do all the things I don’t have time for. Whether it’s brushing up on my French, backing up my old laptops, or completing my cyber-security course, I’ve always felt like there was never enough time.

The quarantine has given me time and to be fair, I’ve for the most part been quite productive. But for some of those things that I’ve been waiting for the right time to do, I’m likely just not going to do them.

It hasn’t really been about time. It’s been about priority. Conceptually, the things on my list sound great. But for a lot of them, they just aren’t as important to me and I don’t think I’ll ever really feel like doing them.

If something is important enough, I’ll always make the time for it. I guess launching my t-shirt store will have to wait.

I can do many of the things I used to pay for — and they turn out better

Prior to this I was used to eating out a lot, but like most people, I have ended up having to cook all my meals now. At first, it wasn’t so bad, then it got tiring, and then I got good at it. I save money, eat healthier, and generally make tastier food than my average meal outside.

My wife has also been cutting my hair for the past few months. Not a perfect job, but not noticeably different from my usual trim. We save money and long waiting hours at the barber.

Exercising at home may not beat going to a gym, but being used to home exercises means I’m more likely to pump out a few push-ups before my shower than skip an entire day.

I’m guessing this global crisis will continue to teach us all new lessons as it evolves. It’s not the greatest situation to be in, but one that may have a greater impact on our self-awareness than we can imagine right now.

How things will turn out, nobody really knows. But it will be really interesting to see the results of the transformation we individually and collectively go through.