Finding happiness in the current times
Okay, so let’s be real, the current times are strange, they are scary and most importantly can take a toll on the mind. I will not lie it has definitely taken a toll on mine. I am one of the lucky ones to still have a job in these uncertain times but had to take a huge pay-cut, and it has definitely affected all my plans.
I am an avid planner and I usually have a few backup plans ready, because let’s be honest Plan A almost never works out. But, none of my plans could ever predict the current situation. I mean yes I was ready for a rainy day here and there. But, this is not a rainy day, it is a full season and more. I had some big life-altering plans for this year, you know the whole “2020 will be my year” thing. Well, that isn’t happening any time soon.
I know all of it sounds so negative and my title says “happiness”. Well, there is happiness. There is peace of mind. And, I found it in places I least expected to.
Happiness place #1 - Ludo & more
I wouldn’t call myself a gamer by any means. I used to play Doom and Call of Duty a lot when I was younger but never invested my time, money, or effort into anything else. I do watch a lot of twitch streams of others playing different games, anything from COD to Animal Crossing to The Last of Us (parts 1 & 2). I think because I cannot or do not play the games I really enjoy seeing others play it. Yes, I find it weird as well, but I enjoy watching them none the less.
Anyway, so when the lockdown began in India, a few of my closest friends and I found ourselves with more time in hand than we were used to and we decided to utilise that time to bond. We have been friends for years now but due to adulting and such, we do not talk as much as we used to. It took a pandemic to bring us all together (socially distanced in our homes in different parts of the country) to chat and play Ludo King for hours.
Yes, you read it right, Ludo King. I know almost everyone you know has been playing this game. It’s fun, it’s easy to play and it’s addictive. Every day we took out an hour or two and played. We chatted about anything and everything under the sun and moon. And, we finally caught up. It felt like we were kids again. Only we pay endless bills now and we worry about our futures.
We played the game seriously. And, I mean, very seriously. We made up tournaments and teams. We praised our teammates and accused the others of cheating, all in jest of course. It became the new normal. Every day without fail, we met online to talk about our days of cleaning the house, cooking something new and fancy and we played. Every day the latest Ludo champion would emerge victoriously and we all went to sleep feeling happy and content. It was fun and more importantly, for those brief moments, we forgot about the pandemic and the uncertain futures. We were all going through the same times, only in varying degrees, but we understood each other, we comforted each other, we became each other’s solace. I feel our already strong friendships became stronger.
If my friends are reading this, you know who you are and you know I love you. <3
As I mentioned before there are few places I found unexpected happiness, I will share more of those in the next blogs. I hope you find your happy place as well.
Stay safe.