Huda Hashim pays tribute to the superwomen in our lives during this pandemic.
A year back, she walked along the beautiful lakeside. She could hear friends laugh at some silly jokes, birds chirping, her heart singing to the tunes of nature’s mirage!
She saw people hug, travellers shake hands, exchanging warmth and breathing fresh air. No smile was masked, no hands were gloved …
The doorbell rang; she had to wake herself up from that mesmerizing dream …
Covid-19 has infected our minds to such a state that we even begin to fear the word “POSITIVE” and, ironically, deem it be synonymous with coronavirus. The pandemic has brought to the forefront stories of the unemployed, jobless, failing economies, job insecurities, business losses and company wind-ups. But, the tale of a woman’s life in this epoch remains untold and unheard of.
Women are the primary caretakers of any home. It is from them that family members learn to face challenges or difficulties. She leads the family through thick and thin with a cheerful smile. The only difference is, today she sheds her tears and rejoices her happiness behind a mask. The pandemic has made her a warrior to fight the battle that the world faces together. On a 24/7 basis, a woman has learnt to balance active children at home and cook special dishes to impress bored souls. She has even mastered the art of “zooming” by attending webinars and watch her kids go to school online. She has learnt to attach to the online world and detach from the offline lush. Indeed, a virtual being she has become!
In this Covid-19 era, lives have changed, and mindsets adjusted. It has become a game-changer and taught us lessons — the hard way! Sometimes when you sit with her and try to click that life button and remove the mask she wears to cover the stress and the gloves to protect her tired hands, she opens the account of difficult folders of life’s hard disk!
Gone are those days when women complained of workload. Now they must “work the load from home”. She fits herself into the office suit in the morning, the master chef coat in the afternoon and then the maternity gown at night. The homemaker’s tale has no fewer chapters and narrates the same struggles. She has learnt to tackle multiple tasks in a stronger way. Mentally, we all stress out, we all have those “battery down” moments. But we also have recharged, refreshed and rejuvenating days! It is simply because we are all Super Women!
It is worth appreciating that today’s women have learnt to live with the new normal. She encompasses the changes that life has brought in general. The most crucial element that we all can imbibe is the positive outlook towards the direction life may take us. We shall overcome this challenging time, together.
She goes back to the lakeside again, there were no hugs or handshakes. She sees only masks and distance everywhere …
But her heart still sang, this time to the tunes of hope and positivity for better days …
She has “that beautiful smile behind the mask.”
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