Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Over the last year and a half, the world has changed as Covid struck everyone by surprise. Lifestyles were forced to change, and Malaysians had no choice but to become accustomed to the new normal.
IRL reached out to Malaysians affected by this change and asked them what were the silver linings found amid a pandemic.
1. Finding peace at home (Jermaine, 29, PJ)
I think for so many, the silver lining should be a simple message – that happiness is found at home and from within.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for life pre-Covid and all the wonderful things my wife and I got to do together: from traveling to spending never-ending nights out with our friends. It was definitely interesting to have been to many places and met different interesting people without the fear of contracting a virus.
But now, it’s a totally different game due to the restrictions. Most days we’d find joy in playing with our two dogs, others we would spend playing board games with each other, or even doing some cleaning in our downtime! Janet also spends a lot of time reading.
If you told me two years ago that we would’ve found contentment staying in, under our own roof, I wouldn’t have bought it. I guess we never really thought such simple things could give us peace.
2. I started going for runs every morning (James, 28, Damansara)
I’ve always been a sports junkie, I love the adrenaline and working out, and whatnot. But before the pandemic, life and my job sort of just got in the way. I got busier and the next thing I knew, I hadn’t touched a ball in a month.
During the lockdown, when I finally found time for myself, I rediscovered the love of running and I did it every morning. Even back then when I’d go for my futsal sessions, I had abandoned running outdoors. It was just too inconvenient.
Every day, after running my 10 km, I am left hot and sweaty, but something about that feels like the right way to start my day – it’s as if all the negativity and stress left my body through my sweat glands. Now I can’t think of a better way to start my day.
The lockdown had allowed me to stay at home and focus on my physical health, I wouldn’t be going for runs if it weren’t for the pandemic. I didn’t know this back then, but by getting my body right, it also led to me feeling better about myself and sorting out my mental health. A healthy lifestyle does indeed lead to a happier life!
3. I got to spend more time with my daughter (Andrea, 39, Klang)
My daughter had just started kindergarten right before the pandemic hit, she attended one week of class right before MCO 1.0 happened. I was also always busy with work, whether I was at the office or at home, so the most time spent with her was probably when I was dropping her off, rather than some downtime.
But because of the MCO, I got to work from home while she had her online classes. That allowed me to spend more time with her, even on her school work. Both my husband and I also had the time to build giant forts with Haley, playing lots of games with her, and helping her solve many puzzles – a bunch of things that we wouldn’t have been able to do with our normal schedule. We felt truly blessed to have been able to spend the time with her.
4. I picked up a new hobby (Kimberly, 26, PJ)
I’m a graphic designer. I’ve always had a passion for designing and creating art pieces that give me the satisfaction of putting my own personal work out there. When Covid hit, I found myself having a lot of time to myself at home, on top of my existing workload.
Face masks suddenly became a new necessity for everyone, and by law, you couldn’t really go anywhere without them. I put two and two together and I used whatever skills and resources I had at home to design and craft my own personal facemask, simply because I thought it was cool.
When the craft stores reopened, I dashed over the first chance I had to purchase more supplies and materials to make, I was so excited! It wasn’t to sell or anything, I did it out of the satisfaction it gave me. When I got better at it, I started to make them for my friends and loved ones.
From the middle of April until August, I made 42 masks, all sewn by hand. Knowing that I get to explore my creativity, helping me grow as an artist while I make sentimental gifts that show appreciation to my loved ones, feels extremely special to me.
5. I developed a relationship with my neighbours (Wai Min, 45, PJ)
In the 20 years that me and my family had lived here, we’ve known our neighbors only enough to wave as we drive past their houses or walk our dogs. Everybody was friendly, but that was it – everyone sort of always had their own things going on and none of us really invested in our neighbours.
Then the lockdown began, and a few of us started to head down to the park in the evenings after being cooped up at home. Some went for a quick walk, some to kick a ball, or simply to get some fresh air. My husband and I would head down every alternate evening to walk our dogs.
The more we went to the park, the more we’d see the same faces. And naturally, simple hi-byes turned to deeper conversations, it was no longer just small talk. A few of us eventually decided to set a time in the evenings down in the park for the five o’clock wave.
Since then, just about everybody in our taman would come out with the sole purpose of lepak-ing together. This went on for a few months, and now we are no longer just neighbors but friends. I guess you can say that this pandemic brought us closer to one another!
While Covid definitely brought a huge impact on the world, may there be more negative than positive ones, we can all agree that it also provided a refreshing change of perspective. It’s stories like these that can remind us to appreciate the little things in life, to stop and smell the roses!
For more stories like this, read: [Video] How The Pandemic Affected This Malaysian Pilot
and Orang Asli in Sabah Are Surviving The Pandemic With Homegrown Food
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