Staying in (thoughts during a lockdown)

Lockdowns are a mixed bag of emotions. There’s joy, fear, sadness, rage; a bit of everything seems to just ‘spill out’. A sense of alertness is always present in the air, lingering and wafting in and out of your presence. Silence, deafening in a sense, is present throughout the day. It almost feels as if we’re all living in a painting, stuck looking out the windows of our homes, waiting until we can return into the outside world. Windows are actually one of the most interesting things you can find in any home actually. They act almost as a portal, a connection to the outside world. Clangs of metal from a distance, an uplifting conversation from afar, the beautiful rustle of the bushes, the sweet shrill crinkle of a leaf; a window allows us to still be connected with these spectacles while we’re locked away at home.

All of us at one point or another in our lives have complained about the horrible noise that disrupts a peaceful evening, but have you ever welcomed this noise? I myself have never felt this way before. The noise from the main road and from the apartment are what built a sort of ‘background’ for me. The endless honking and swift ‘swish’ from the cars, the loud arguments between people in neighbouring flats, the occasional shouts from children playing in the ground and even the splashes from the swimming pool helped lift the atmosphere around me in many, many ways.

While we are stuck at home it doesn’t limit us from engaging in frequent travel. This travel can very easily be achieved by movies, books or even music. Movies I feel are a quite powerful medium.  A well-constructed world with relatable characters and stunning visuals allows you to almost forget about what’s happening around you. A book helps you almost construct a world from your imagination. Its almost as if you have been given the pieces of a puzzle, and you can decide how you choose to arrange the pieces. Music in a way helps one ‘feel’. There’s an overwhelming feeling of joy when you listen to some songs, or a crushing feeling of sadness when you listen to others. It helps us keep in touch with our emotions.

So, I’ll end this strain of thoughts by saying this; although I am starting to enjoy staying at home, I can’t wait to get back outside.