4 Ways I found Joy Amid the Pandemic

Let me begin by saying that it is not too hard to find joy. You don’t even have to seek it, just see it, it’s hiding there in plain sight. This is not the ‘wow I did it’ kind of joy that comes from climbing a mountain, running a marathon or landing a dream job. Not the joy of accomplishment this, rather a kind of warm fuzzy feeling that drives away hopelessness, the joy where you don’t even have to be a participant just an observer and sensor.

March and April 2021 have been traumatic to say the least. The novel corona virus took a toll on my family and I lost three of my favourite elders. It badly affected almost everyone I love and hold dear. It was 8 weeks of fluctuating spo2 levels, high grade fevers, debilitating weakness and coughs that refused to abate. An unshakeable cloud of despair lightly sat on my shoulders and followed me everywhere I went. For this cloud to float away, winds of joy had to blow. The news did not help. People were falling everywhere and the virus was laughing its way to death. Deep down, I knew joy was just somewhere waiting to be found like a lost puppy.

So I opened my eyes wide and actively sought out joy. I did not have to go far (social distancing prevents travelling anyway) Here’s what I found right at home in one day….

Kindness

There is no doubt that kindness brings joy. Messages, phone calls, a casserole of warm khichdi and sambar from my neighbors, cousins dropping in when I was at my lowest all helped us heal. Although the phone rang almost incessantly, I knew it was genuine concern that drove people to call and check if I was okay. The numerous messages that flooded my phone were also well meaning friends and relatives telling me to stay strong. My ship sailed, albeit slowly, on this overwhelming wave of kindness. Gratitude!

Wisdom quotes

Words have always been my place of solace, and I kept googling for wisdom quotes and leafing through books of scriptures and they never disappoint, do they? Words, my best friends spoke to me from the computer screen and books, telling me to carry on. “The period of waiting patiently for release of suffering is an act of worship” - Al Ghazali. Words like these would stay, a gentle reminder through the day that everything eventually would be okay.

Blooms and greens

Nature often endures much more than we give it credit for. So, despite the pandemic, and all the things that were failing all around, nature continued its dance with the breeze and unfurling its greens. The flowers bloomed and bees buzzed and it was God’s way of telling me things will get better. I don’t know if there is any research behind this, but watching a tree or even a little plant growing in the balcony can bring hope. Try it out…worked for me!

Chocolate

When everything else fails there is always chocolate. I cannot extoll its benefits enough as an anti- depressant, mood enhancer and all-round happy food. I must have consumed copious amounts of anything with chocolate in it. Momentary joy, yay for Dairymilk.

We all have been through a harrowing time… I’ve known people who’ve lost immediate family and are living with unimaginable voids. The fear has not completely gone away although time and prayer lightens the burden. May God give us all strength!

Tell me about what brings you hope and joy, sharing often eases the pain.