LININGS

By Sakshi Jain

July 9, 2020

The Roaring Twenties was a monumental era when the world was at the pinnacle of prosperity. A period of excellent opportunities, booming economies and a phase of revival post war. This era saw the feminist movement on a rise, the birth of the Jazz age, the Harlem renaissance on full swing and people finally finding their identities and garnering a strong foothold within their culture, communities and in life.

However, the twenties we are on the onset of experiencing is deafening. The roars are synonymous to cries and protests. The world is on a brink of collapse. People are dying due to a pandemic and governments seize every opportunity to create propaganda and safeguard monetary and political benefits. Countries disrupt peace and people turn against people. Whilst this continues, nature has become less forgiving and our Earth is on fire.

We stand amidst rising uncertainties and a lingering question `What next?’

None of us can foresee the future, and some of us aren’t completely aware of the ground reality of the present either.

The world shutting down has us confined within four walls of our homes and restricted us in ways we never thought possible. Masks and sanitizers are the new suit and tie and life as we know it has flipped upside down.

Amidst all this, when someone asks me how am I holding up, I count my blessings and hold on to the thickest of the silver linings. A constant reminder that I am doing just fine.

There are days where my mental health hits rock bottom and insecurities take a heavy toll, however there are also days where an old song heard after ages, brings a wave of nostalgia. The aroma of hand beaten coffee becomes a reminder of airports and a silly dad joke leaves the family in fits. Mom’s recipes finally make sense and an old paintbrush meets paper.

There are days where cleaning the house becomes top priority and everyone is assigned a specific chore. Some days are grim. Some days’ shine bright. Sometimes everyone is deeply engrossed in their cell phones and sometimes a draw four card creates rivals. A distant family member is deeply missed but distance is only a number when everyone comes together for a virtual celebration for any occasion. Afternoon tea time becomes a bonding session, where conversations flow at such a pace that sense of time is lost. There are days when small arguments seem like a never ending occurrence and having the same people around all the time can become nauseating.

This period, it is bittersweet. More bitter than sweet. But take one day at time. Set your own pace, utilise your time however you want. Have a lazy and an extremely unproductive day or learn all that you ever wanted to learn in one day. Just do anything to have a smile on your face by the time the sun sets and the moon shines.

And yet, we are nothing but humans. We see what we chose to see, so look for what helps you be better in a time like this. Be resilient, encouraged and most importantly hold on.

Hold on. Find the thickest, fattest and shiniest silver lining and grab onto it. It may be the only thing shining to help us manoeuvre through 2020 or….. maybe a vaccine, who knows?