Just as we managed to somehow pull through the longest month of the year on comes March a month which under normal circumstances would be a most welcomed month. March brings with it the first signs of Spring, brighter days, warmer weather, less clothes, as well as an excitement for outdoor activities. Not this year.
Here is our list of what we hope to see improve after COVID-19
1. Mother Earth chased us with a wooden spoon and sent us to our rooms
It has only been a couple of weeks since COVID-19 has entered our little island, however the quality of air around us has improved drastically. Less cars on our roads leading to less traffic, has reduced the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air. China, Spain and Italy the 3 countries worst hit by the coronavirus have seen a rapid decrease due to country lockdowns. The thousands of deaths around the world may be a hard pill to swallow, it may be weird and difficult to understand that such a tragedy can actually bring good news along with it. As air pollution diminishes it somehow feels as though planet earth is sending us a clear message and has sent us to our rooms to consider what we’ve done just as we punish kids who misbehave.
2.Don’t drop the soap!
Self explanatory – please, we can’t stress this enough – continue to wash your hands (maybe not as excessively) as well as have a daily shower whilst making proper use of deodorants especially in the warmer months after the pandemic. Do we really need a pandemic to ensure our levels of hygiene are up to scratch?
3. We found out that meeting could have been an email
We’ve all had those scheduled meetings which we sometimes need to stop what we’re doing, get in a car, sit in traffic and waste precious time from our busy days only to realise afterwards that meeting could have been a two liner email. Working from home should help bring this message home. We understand that some meetings are better done over a coffee, face-to-face and may require a personal touch – however, maybe we are slowly realising that yes, that meeting could be a simple two minute call, email or video call if need be.
4. Take us anywhere…. ANYWHERE!
Remember those times you’d bail on your mates last minute because you felt like chillin’ at the crib bingeing on Netflix eating ice-cream in your pj’s? We’d all gladly accept any invitation to leave home – at this point Aunty Doris’ 85th Birthday tea and cakes sounds exciting as long as we’re out mingling with fellow humans! Please after COVID-19 invite us anywhere, we’ll be there!
5. Your Body is a Temple – treat it like one
No matter how hard you try to avoid the tragic news from around the world, you begin to realise what a mammoth task it is. The constant updates, statistics and information about all things corona are all around us on TV, our online feeds, conversations with friends – it’s hard to remember what we spoke about before COVID-19. The simple thought COVID-19 is enough for most of us to worry about our health and appreciate it that much more. It’s no wonder so many people are taking exercise sessions and healthy eating more seriously with online video workouts and healthy recipes filling our feeds. This is definitely a trend we hope continues once life returns to normality. Considering our extremely high obesity rates this will certainly be a welcomed change.
6. A new perspective, learning what is truly important.
Tragedies tend to have a way of providing us with lessons. COVID-19 is slowing down time for most of us and we are beginning to appreciate the simple things. Families are now forced to spend more time together. Less rushing from activity to activity, being confined to our homes with no one else to talk but our family, we begin to appreciate each other that much more and realise that family is one of, if not the most important part of our lives. We hope that this will not be forgotten and we continue to value and priorities our families above anything else.
7.New world, new you!
Lets face it, we have a lot more time on our hands nowadays. We’ve all dreamt and wished for more time to be able to do things we love or try our hand at something new. These plans tend to get postponed indefinitely as we tell ourselves we’ll do it one day, and that day never comes. This is the perfect time for people to pick up new hobbies and master skills they always wanted to. Whether it be some form of exercise, yoga & meditation, pottery, cooking, gardening, painting, studying a new subject, learning a language – the list is pretty much endless. This new freedom could potentially open the door to new life interests, talents and skills which we can continue to develop post COVID-19 helping to make us more interesting individuals and enhance our skill set.
8. Less partisan politics , more togetherness
The Maltese divide of red vs blue seems to be a pattern in our history that is very hard to shake off. Politics is one of our favourite talking points, everyone seems to have an opinion and the divide continues to be seen in our communities, heated debates between colleagues, friends, families as well as social networks threads are a daily part of our society. This is one of the few times we can see the Maltese population working together as one, working for the country’s best interest. The red/blue divide may still be seen, but definitely on a much lesser scale. Wouldn’t it be great if we could permanently do away with tribal politics and work together for a better Malta?
In an ideal world these silver linings in such a chaotic storm would be welcomed changes and would definitely improve our lifestyles. Will these lessons be learnt from and taken into consideration or will we simply forget and go back to old ways once the sun shines again?
