Hi dear blog, sorry for not keeping you abreast for quite a while. That doesn’t mean of course that I forgot you, but, apologies for not giving you some sort of priority these past years.
Well, apologies too to readers that I started this blogpost a little bit of drama (hehehe). Just allow me please to say the least.
With or without COVID-19, this space was a part of my journal. Thanks to Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) for taking me as part of the bloggers.
Though, I only have a handful of entries here but those were experiences that touched my being.
As I write this, I am on a “work-from-home” status with intermittent internet courtesy of my mobile data. Despite the limitations that the hardware could offer, it never deters me to be productive especially that the Information Services Section (ISS) across the network are vital in the delivery of our programs and services.
Perhaps, majority of my counterparts would agree with me that the job of the section today is huge than the cubicles, tables or spaces in the office that we are confined and most of all, our colleague will also understand that being with our laptops, PCs and mobiles – our function provided a greater impact that the present moment cannot categorically see where we are seated but on the outside where even in the outskirts beyond our scope as long as connectivity is there, our outputs can reached and even touched lives.
When COVID-19 breaks in the news, some were not that serious about it, however, for those who already experienced its wrath, mixed emotions cannot be contained to their selves and the community they live in.
Nearly a month ago, our country declared enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) since the number of cases of PUIs and PUMs shoots the graph plus positive patients marked only as numbered with a purpose especially that their deaths frightened almost one and all that resulted a great loss to their family.
But our “front liners” on one hand, are brave enough to face the pandemic together with our government officials who made efforts to ease the untowardness of the situation and learned to accept this “new normal.” Even our back liners on the other, especially the farmers who provided us food to fuel our daily grind and teaches us lessons that without them, all of us do not have the capacity to standstill and face this storm.
As I contemplate how COVID-19 pandemic shakes the entire human race and how the disease triggered the press button to let us all “slow-down” or “pause” to almost our entire usual goings remains an enigma to one and all.
The three Rs (as in the letter R) are basic skills taught in schools: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic made me realized that COVID-19 enables us to relearn all these things.
First R – Reading. To bookworms or would-be readers, the quarantine due to COVID-19 appreciates us to all the available reading materials at home. We even realized that we have unpacked and untouched books in our shelves and drawers that await our time.
Parents who are so busy with their respective works can now join their children reading books because of the “home-schooling” scheme imposed by their respective schools.
There are even century-old magazines that we discovered that our parents stocked in our shelves for fiesta or family gathering purposes wherein our guests will be entertained while waiting to partake the sumptuous food being prepared.
Finally, we discovered that the quarantine encouraged us to appreciate the beauty and importance of books and other reading materials when you are alone.
Second R – Writing. A variety of notebooks or journals are now found in the shelves, drawers or boxes that we own and we let them go into slumber. During the quarantine, our creative juices are touched. For sure, we have composed poems, haikus, songs, daily logs or even made a short novel that we supposedly love to do it but we don’t have the luxury of time doing such.
Third R. – Arithmetic. Time is the name of the game and it entails a lot of patience and discoveries. Some got bored, a few are productive while others are closely-knit even by distance and consistently talk about family, development and even challenges along the way. Here, we learned the value of talking through “teleconferencing” (of course, thank you to technology). Exchange of thoughts, ideas and innovations can now be easily escalated. Entertainment and all can also be accessed through our fingertips.
I know I miss to mention important details on the 3Rs above, but, I am glad to hear yours as well.
Together we can fight this pandemic if we follow the orders that are best for us. Let us stretch our patience and embrace the “new normal.” For all I know, through our prayers and positive thoughts towards the universe, all will be well and we will be rejoicing a new beginning. Be safe everyone and let’s all be well and do our share.