They tell you not to fall in love during a pandemic (they like people have experienced this before hahaha) because people are just bored, they’re not in love. I’ve never been one to listen to what other people tell me to do, so naturally being me, this is of course the time that I fell in love.
With all this extra time it’s hard not to fall in love, life is so beautiful and we finally have the time to really appreciate it. We all have the time to finish something we started a long time ago but didn’t finish. Read the book we bought months ago, learn a new skill, and focus on our relationships.
For me, the lockdown in India due to COVID19 has been a real eye-opener. I have learned so much about myself now that I have the time to breathe and really listen to myself. The whole experience has been like meeting a new person. Finally getting to truly understand who I really am. And I have fallen in love with that person.
I’ve always been one of those people that keep themselves crazily busy. Just this morning I was telling my friend that it took me about 2 years to read Sapiens. My all-time favourite book simply because I just didn’t have the time.
Since the lockdown started I’ve changed a lot of things about my life. I’ve stopped painting, which may not seem as though it is a positive, but I really needed a break. I have lost one of my jobs as an author which paid really well. But I have kept the other copywriting jobs which pays the bills and helps me save a bit each month.
I was considering taking a break from work all together at the start of the pandemic because I was feeling overwhelmed. I ended up deciding not to so that I can have a bit of money behind me when I inevitably have to travel back to Australia. And I am only working less than 40 hours a month, which is what most people will do in a week.
In my spare time I have been able to really get to know myself. I start to enjoy more and more alone time, which I have spent helping people in various aspects of their life. Unknowingly I seem to have turned into the person that a lot of people look to for guidance. Whether it be people I have known throughout my life or complete strangers.
This is one of the qualities I have come to love most about myself. In a world where we are seeing so much hate, blame, and racism throughout the world, I am glad that I can be that positive ray of light for so many people. I have come to learn about myself a lot of qualities that have always been there, that I just hadn’t recognised or appreciated.
I’ve learned that I have so much love to give. I enjoy helping people, I love making other people feel loved and appreciated. I’ve learned how to say what I want and to let go of people that bring me down. I have truly come to embrace myself for the exceptionally weird and giving person that I am, expecting nothing in return from anyone else.
It has been happening over some time, but the additional time I now have for self-reflection I realise that I have let go of a lot of my negative traits that had become natural to me over the years. I have let go of my anger, learned how to relax, understand that you can’t change people no matter how much you try, appreciate other people for exactly who they are, I have a drive to enhance peoples lives and show them how to create the best version of their life they can.
Since I found this new way of life, I honestly couldn’t be happier. It has taken me 11 months to get to the point that I am now, falling in love with myself and the life that I have created. I love it so much that I feel the need to save everyone from the life they have that was anything similar to what I was living.
There is so much more to life than working your ass off in a job, trying to reach some level of status, partying every weekend, climbing the corporate ladder, or staying in a job you hate just to pay the bills. I honestly never thought that I could be happy, and really with the life I had it wasn’t possible. But now that I really understand that there is an alternative, it is something I want to open up everyone’s eyes to.
I want people to fall in love with themselves, to appreciate others for who they are, let go of their hate, let go of their anger and find true bliss in their life. I still struggle to see any kind of future, for me it is just something that is missing. But really that is fine, because I am truly content and in love with the moment.
Sharing love, positivity, and different thought patterns are things I want to keep doing, as well as starting painting again. If anyone reading this wants to make a change in their life for the better, fall in love with yourself. I can’t promise you that I can help or do it for you, but I can certainly give you my support and try to show you the world as I see it.
Love Always,
Lala
