Fustany Talks: The Quarantine Gave Me a New Life

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I'm not a fan of crying over spilt milk... which means I always try to see the positive in any situation because I believe that missed chances always brings new opportunities, and after a slew of bad days comes the good ones, and there is no problem without a solution, etc. Yes, I am that person, but it wasn't an easy thing to reach that positive headspace, I had to train myself many years to reach it. So when the self isolation and quarantine started, I kept repeating one phrase in my head over and over again, and that is: "All of this will pass, you just need to enjoy and make the most out of it."

To be completely honest, the first 3 days my brain was unable to process fully the huge shift that had happened. From a very fast and draining pace in life, an irritating feeling that I'm in a continuous marathon that I have no idea where or when I'll reach the end, to a sudden stop. It was then that I realised I didn't need to pressure my brain to understand it all, I can try to introduce it in a different way. Like a newborn that is introduced to a new life. This was the start of a new jorney for me.

Yes, I have made my quarantine life into a jorney, made a fixed schedule with a dash of discovery and entertainment. I even created a new atmosphere where I work at home to be part of the fun. This planet has given us a break to reenergize, so why don't we make use of it?

On the 4th day of quarantine, I woke up and before starting work, I took a pen and paper and listed down all the the things I wanted to learn -I hadn't thought of many things at the time- but every day I'd add on to the list one thing after the other. When I finally went to bed every day,  I always wished the day had more hours because there was so many things I wanted to learn. My schedule became so full but very entertaining. I wake up super early, start my work day being a lot more productive than I ever was before, and I finish it much earlier too. I no longer spend extra hours finishing things I could've completed in a shorter time. I started enjoying my exercises at home without feeling forced to do them. I am even learning a new language 'Spanish' and it became the most enjoyable thing ever to me. I went back to my drawing lessons that I had stopped taking for over a year with no reason whatsoever. I spend more time with my mother and brother whose company I love very much. I play with my cat that I only used to see for a couple of hours at the end of the day. There's even time for me now to sit aimlessly and rest my brain from time to time, taking a break from all the noise. I now have a life full of details and a path I can walk in knowing where each step is leading me to. I no longer need to run as fast as I can against time without a goal to reach.

I know that life itself is freedom, and that sitting inside the confines of 4 walls is not the best, but I also believe that we as humans sometimes need a strong slap on the face to realize how much we have wronged this life. Taking away our freedom is that slap that we needed. But if there is anything that I'm sure of today, it's that once life strats getting back to normal, I won't go back to how I used to live it. This is a promise I made to myself. The life I've been looking for all these years, is the one I'm living right now.

Finally, this will all pass and the only thing that will be left of it is the memory, so try to enjoy it as much as you can, and from its ristrictions create a new life for yourself. A life that you truly deserve.

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Main Image Credit: Instagram @malloryonthemoon