The quarantine is a unique time – suddenly we have been gifted a lot of free hours, which might seem exciting and motivating, but also surprising or scary. The expression ‘gifted’ wasn’t accidental. I like to think of it as a sort of present, which no one ever has ever really had before (short of those who have experienced house arrest), and therefore no one is wise enough to advise us how it should be used.
The word ‘freedom’ in all this madness may sound inappropriate, but that’s how I feel when I think about the time spent in my apartment. I am free to sleep all day, watch Netflix, catch up on books, or surf the Internet looking for Polish e-books. I am also free to give up on all that and be creative. I am free to do the things that make me happy, chat with friends and family, having fun with them on different platforms available online. I can invest time in being healthy, keeping both body and mind in good condition. Finally, I am free to discover things that I didn't know before or always wanted to try, using the common excuse of ‘not having enough time.’ Well… now it’s all I have.
I’d be lying if I said that each of the 50+ days of quarantine was productive, thinking about the times when I managed to change out of my comfy clothes into my sports gear, googling ‘Zumba online’ instead of ‘La casa de papel’ makes me want to take a break from writing the article and go dance again.
The words, ‘Nobody cares if you can't dance well,’ couldn’t be more true. The first thing I was told at my first Zumba classes was that I don’t need to follow every single step, but need to have fun with every move. Thankfully, my clever and talented instructors brought the regular classes from the gym to their flat, broadcasting them all online. Whenever I feel that I want to have more fun on a night when there’s no class, I search for YouTube videos with my favorite songs and choreographies (which I’m sure provides top quality quarantine entertainment for my neighbors).
However, what they aren’t able to spot are the moments when I sit by my coffee table, grab a piece of paper, open a metal fineliner box and do one of the things that I’ve never had time / talent / materials / [insert your own excuse here] to do. Any guesses as to my latest secret occupation?
Recently, I tried to draw a mandala for the very first time! And then again and again as I got deeper into it. Mandala means ‘circle’ or ‘center’ and represents various patterns radiating from the middle. It comes in many different shapes, colors, sizes, and I’ve found that it lets me free my mind. Drawing it requires focus and precision, which results in the most and surprising stunning effects. Hopefully, I will be able to make a fantastic collection or even a material for an exhibition :)
Staying at home enabled me to get into the routine of doing activities which make me a happier person now and which I can continue with into the future, remembering the unique gift of freedom and trying to ensure I keep enough my schedule free for my favorite things when things are finally back to normal! Maybe we can’t control the current situation in the world: closed restaurants, bars, theatres, sports centers, traveling restrictions, but we have an impact on how we get through the lockdown and transfer to the new normality. After the quarantine, I will say that I managed to be positive and free despite the unfavorable circumstances and hope you will do so too!