Who would have thought that this pandemic would reach a year or more?
When Covid19 hits the Philippines last March 2020, I thought that it would be just a month or 2. I even advised my sister working in Manila not to go home here in our province, thus she opted to stay in her boarding house in Manila for work at home company arrangement, but later in the year she got depressed and eventually resigned and left home bound, after having been diagnosed of Covid far away from home. Our hospital also discontinued 2 months of operation for the Out Patient Department, our unit included, thus we really thought that the lockdown effort can suffice in getting rid of the coronavirus. Two months of distraction appeared nothing initially, it was like a weird staycation at home. However, after that, the reality sink in, the world was indeed uncertain of how long this pandemic would keep on distracting our plans, work and our usual lives.
The year 2020 was like a game changer of our lives, and the entire world. Businesses were shutting down, a lot of people from the working class got unemployed, the schools have to consider online and modular classes, and suddenly healthcare became an issue. The pandemic is a big distraction of our priorities, the initial phase was the hardest, it causes so much stress and depression to a lot of people. I remember when the new learning started in schools, quite a number of students around the country committed suicide because coping with the new system was seemed so hard for them to keep up. Suicide cases went up, from loneliness because of travel limitations, persistent unemployment, and other unknown personal and psychological stressors. A colleague of mine got panic disorder from the stresses brought about by Covid19. It seems the entire pandemic thing is a bitter pill to swallow... Cheers if you survived the sudden shift of life in the year 2020!
September last year, was a crossroad for me. This was the month when Covid19 cases in the provinces soared high, I was thinking of quitting my job in the hospital because of fear, thus I ventured back working/ blogging online, this was the time I discovered this platform. Mind you, earning in read.cash that time was the hardest with the point system, thus I have second thoughts of quitting my job. I still need a day job to finance myself, give something for my parents, and finance my future plans. So, quitting wasn't an option, never was.
At the back of my mind, the pandemic is a long distraction. If I won't shrug every uncertainty out of my system, then my life will be in a complete pause for God knows how long. The fear and the fighter inside me played tug of war in my mind, of course, the fighter wins!
Shaking off every distraction, I stopped writing in read.cash for 3 months to concentrate on my review for IELTS. Yes, I have to pursue my plans no matter what. I dread traveling during pandemic, but I conquered it. I travelled to Cebu City last March 2021 to take the IELTS exam, and conquered not only the stress of the exam, but also the hassles of traveling - two flights cancelled, exam rebooking, travel by boat to Cebu and vice versa, new protocols, the anxiety of quarantine and processing documents, etc. The craziest travel I have made in my entire life.
Now, I can still say that this pandemic is a huge distraction of my plans. Lately, I have read in the news regarding travel restrictions for Filipinos, considering the country is in Level 3 - HIgh (Travel Health Notice )(Level 4 as the highest), and this might be another temporary lay off for Filipinos traveling out of the country.
Anyway, I am confident that by God's grace, this will all come to pass. We are all in the middle of the storm for a year and a half now, and precisely a rainbow after it. I'm claiming it! So, let's keep on hoping and never cease praying that a brand new Covid-free day is waiting for us in the near future.
Let go and let God.
(The Lord says) "Anyone who trust in ME will not be disappointed."
- Isaiah 49:23
I thought that I would just be venting out my skirmish thoughts about life and my plans at the moment. And, well, it coincides with the prompt Distraction by @JonicaBradley, great timing!
#17 Distraction - Writing Prompt by @JonicaBradley is up.
If you want to join, the rules are simple:
Write anything about distraction
Write 100% original content
Join and submit to the community PromptlyJonica
Tag @JonicaBradley
Have Fun!
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©️ LykeLyca
Same here, I thought pandemic will end at 2 months ..many plans get delay and the family business almost close.. thank God and we're still in survival mode.