CHENNAI: I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” — The Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien Time, the one element that we always thought was at a premium in all our lives and now, lo and behold, suddenly we have so much of it and we really haven’t the faintest clue of what we should do.
Trying to move away from the misinformation pandemic that WhatsApp forwards are ushering into our connected lives, we decided that this would perhaps be the best time to remove those unnecessary weeds that have sprung up among the saplings in our small balcony garden.
This would also be the time when we could get to sleep beyond 6 am and could catch up on our reading. This would also be the time when we become audience to our eight-year-old daughter’s magic performance that she decided to treat us to, after helping sweep and mop the house, even as the better half fixes breakfast.
The three of us now surround ourselves with board games that had remained on shelves waiting to be played. So from Taboo to Monopoly to Pictionary, our evenings have been busy. While we haven’t yet figured out how to completely digitally detox ourselves, however, we value the Internet even more, as we scour the World Wide Web to match the veggies in the refrigerator with interesting albeit easy recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From checking on family and friends through calls and messages, we also remember to say a little prayer every day for all those out there who are fighting the disease head-on, and say thanks for the gift of time and family. —Varsha Pillai (Write to cityexpresschn@gmail.com and tell us how you are spending this quarantine.)