Oh well, I was on quarantine.

Before the quarantine started, I've always dreamed of taking a long vacation but the sort of vacation that I'd stay at home, read a lot of books and getting my life together that doesn't involve work but as a responsible adult, I couldn't sacrifice my vacation leaves for the sake of that kind of vacation. And then, oh well, COVID-19 happened and the whole world was already on quarantine. 

This may sound bad for some that I am too privileged considering all the things happening in the world but I want to count all my lucky stars and thank the Universe above for providing us the basic necessities that my family and I'd need throughout the #StayAtHome period. I'm also lucky to have a mom who would sacrifice going outside so she could cook us delicious meals and every meal became such a huge blessing for me. I became more appreciative of her home-cooked meals. 

Along the way, I had lessons and thoughts of this whole ordeal. 

• Frugality is a survival tool. 

Oh yes, I was so lucky to develop the habit of saving money for rainy days at such a young age. Guess what? I was able to provide our basic necessities and pay the bills without relying on personal savings. When I was in college, I made sure to have bank accounts that I could withdraw money from and an account that no matter what, I wouldn't withdraw any amount unless it's already for the purpose that I've intended to. 

• Indeed, health is wealth. 

Whoever quoted that obviously stated the truth especially with what's happening in the world, it's our investment to make time and effort for our health. I'm not only speaking of our physical health but also with our mental health. Did you know I was able to exercise every day since the quarantine started? My body was already craving for physical activity and when I went back to work, I may not exercise on a daily basis but at least, maintaining active was no longer an issue. A rest day is possible when I'm staying at my boyfriend's place during the weekend.

I was able to develop the habit of meditating and journaling again for my mental health. It was toxic to face the phone for the entire day so I took breaks. To calm the storms in my head, I meditate or dump all my thoughts on paper. When I couldn't journal the thoughts I have in mind, I'd try journal prompts. They were helpful. You need to give it a try. 

•  It was a test of relationships and friendships. 

My boyfriend and I live in different towns and going from one town to another was impossible at the beginning of the quarantine period. I was having fun with my family during an afternoon snack when I noticed a car passed by on our house and I was already screaming his name that he's here, went upstairs to take my towel, and took a bath. I was freakin' happy and surprised at that time and yes, we were both happy after months of not seeing each other. 

You all know that I don't have WiFi at home and I only depend on mobile data for my online activities and this situation made it difficult for me and Da. I had to save my data so our video calls were short. Although, I am thankful that we appreciate more of the efforts we do to maintain our communication so we could grow as a couple even if we're apart. Guess what? He gifted me a WiFi at home package as an anniversary gift so my online activities aren't that limited already. 

I'm also thankful for my friends who did their part to keep in touch. Oh well, online and offline communication with people made my sanity intact. 

• Take it slow. 

The quarantine was difficult for me. Due to my limited access to the internet, I couldn't start my passion project which is to go back on blogging. I couldn't do the things I needed to do online. Heck, I couldn't even work from home even if it's possible in my field. What made it more difficult was seeing people taking online courses, earning money from doing online jobs, and seeing people doing their best on moving forward. While I was living a life of a potato which was waking up late, eat brunch, watch a series on Netflix, exercise, and sleep and do those things all over again. I guess you might be wondering how Netflix became possible. There are mobile data packages that gave me 1 GB per day to consume so that's why. Anyway, that was it. It made me think of how I'm last on line. I felt I am growing old with no opportunities to grow. I was stuck. The only things I could do without the use of the internet was to invest on activities that somehow we took for granted pre-quarantine like constant self-love and care, more time with the family, and activities for the earth. 

My family and I did a lot of gardening compared to the usual activities we did for our garden. We would harvest fresh fruits in our subdivision and we had unlimited supplies of fruits like mangoes and guavas. We even made guava jam and I didn't like it. Haha! We propagated a lot of plants. Through this propagation, I was able to give plants to my boyfriend for their home and to my friends. It made me happy knowing we're doing our part to make our world a little greener. 

To exercise my mind, I was able to finally face my TBR pile. When this year started, I set myself to read 12 books this year. I guess I'm already on my 15th book.

I know that I am not the only one who's experiencing the same thing. All dreams and goals are currently on pause but I know, in God's time, we will get there. We just have to take it slow. We have our pace. 

• Uh, don't take social media too seriously. 

Social media is a helpful tool. It gave us the voice to let issues be heard. It gave way to small business to continue their operation. It made communication so much easier. However, as much as we want our lives to be perfect but it's not, we know that. I hope we're all aware of that. We choose what we post. We try to be mindful with every word, every picture, every move that we do online. So constant comparison from one self to another won't do any good on how we see ourselves. 

I'd remind myself with this when I'm overwhelmed on why I felt like I'm still stuck on a point. I just have to put it here to also remind yourself. I think someone would need it. 

• Matter

This quarantine was so life changing. We learned a lot. We went through ups and downs. An essential lesson I learned was sorting my life on things that really matter in every aspect of life.

What were your quarantine lessons? Could you relate to some of mine?