August 29 to 31, 2021: Habits that make us

August 29 to 31, 2021: Habits that make us. Once we believe that the interruptions are over, there is comfort in routine. The same things happen and there is a predictability to life. We all perhaps seek a little bit of that. To be not surprised. To take things for granted, that someone will wake at a certain time, will do a few things that can be expected. In such expectations we find familiarity. It these patterns of life that were taken away last year. Nothing could be anticipated. In such anticipation lies the ability to plan. To know for sure that certain things will happen. And if they do not happen, there is at least a good explanation. There are no mysteries. At least at the mundane level of everyday life. In that periodicity things change their importance. In my World, the people I work with the most, the uncertainties are not about being a victim of the pandemic, but the questions have now turned to “how do I enroll in a class that has no more seats left.” I have gone back to greeting them with a smile because, magically, I can remove my mask if my nearest victim is at least 10 feet away. They, however, masked, would sit through a class which is a little longer than the flight from Delhi to Bangalore and that is now normal. That same routine reminds me that there will be messages that will come at certain times. A beep on the phone and another predictable moment has happened, as expected. This is the new place I am in now. The knowledge that things are not being interrupted any more. Yet, there are sudden reminders of another time, which we are trying to desperately forget. An email stating that a person cannot be in class. Quarantine. Unwell. No taste, no smell. Suddenly, a different reality sets in. A quick scramble to the tools of the bygone days. The weapons come out, the camera, the microphone, the link, the video. We are not running fast enough to leave the past months behind; the curve is accelerating as well. The road may not be as difficult as the last time, but do not lose the road map. Not quite yet. And this debate, should we pack away the map and put it aside, or should we keep it with us, in our back pocket, ready to pull out at any time seems to go on ad nauseum. I listed to these conversations and take note. Don’t let your guard down. Quite yet. Remain ready, remain prepared. Is there cowardice in that? We try to prepare for so many things. But can we ever be totally prepared. It is said that children would in all likelihood, someday, see their parents die. I have. Both of them. Was I prepared? There is inevitability there, it is often a matter of time, you just hope the last mile is smooth. But that is a different kind of preparation, some are better than others in such preparations. I can think of people who face the inevitability far better than others. It is not a judgment on the person, but different people are prepared differently. Although the current uncertainty is different, it is still a similar story here, how prepared are we? As the routine lulls us into the artificial normality should we not wonder what happens when there is the next interruption? Do we need to be constantly on the vigil? That is no way to live, some will say, “roll with the punches,” the true boxer can always stand back up and fight again. But is it better to be prepared? To be able to visualize the multiple possibilities if there is choice, or to visualize the inevitable and steel oneself for the moment. It is as Bon Jovi said, it is important to remember sometimes we are on our own - “Just a man and his will to survive.”