The lockdown journal: Of scrabble duels and pasta sauces
The lockdown is definitely a tough time for all of us. There have been countless posts urging us to pursue hobbies, to learn new skills, to use the abundance of time productively. While they are right, it can be daunting, and you might be feeling lost in the quagmire of choices. I will give you a slightly different approach: forget about productivity for a minute, and pick a couple of things that make you happy. Things that you look forward to. You must first feel good, only then can you be productive. I want you to pick something that would make you look back on the lockdown period with a fond smile and go: "Those days when I used to find time for xyz. It used to be so much fun". This post is about my happy discoveries.
I was lying in bed, my ankle hurting from a sprain, feeling a little blue. My husband walked in and remarked that the spark in my eye was missing. He tried to talk to me to figure out what was wrong, but there wasn't a "reason" for my gloom other than the general environment of prevailing moroseness. Having understood that, he told me Let's play something.
Like what?
To start with, scrabble.
I'd never played scrabble before, but it sounded fun, so I agreed. He showed me the rules, and then our first match began. Within a few turns, I'd gotten the knack of the game. Now, out came my competitive side and I tried to play to win. However, he was quite a good player himself and that resulted in both of us being neck to neck, the lead changing in every other move. I was completely engrossed in the game. Finally, we were in the last lap with no more letters, and I formed my word, and had a lead of more than 10 points over him. We both thought I was going to win. However, he got a turn since both of us had letters left. He cleared out all the letters he had. Game over. We both looked at the screen, and to our mutual shock, he won by two dozen points. I had not accounted for the fact that my leftover letters would be deducted from my score and added to his--a double whammy. He was elated, and I outraged(both unduly exaggerated, for fun). I demanded another duel, because I wasn't aware of this rule. We have since played around 5 scrabble duels, enjoying every one of them. Not to brag, but I've won 4 of them, and even hit a scrabble bingo with a score of 99. :P
Scrabble with my husband is one of my favorite things now, and I eagerly wait for our duels.
My other favorite: Making pasta sauce. I have always been decent at cooking, but have never had an interest in it. Recently, I made my first pasta sauce, along with my husband. There was something magical about the process. The ingredients and spices cooked in the tomato puree, emanating a wonderful fragrance. Slowly, the flavors blended together, resulting in a mixture that looked and tasted delicious. I left it on to simmer for a while, even after it was done, to give it that extra taste. Finally, it was stored in the fridge. I looked forward to making pasta with this. For three evenings thereafter, I loved the feeling of pouring the sauce into the pasta, feeling the aroma envelop me. It felt like home and a warm hug, like sunlight and serenity. I shall soon be making my third pasta sauce this season.
I hope you find things that bring you happiness too! :)
I was lying in bed, my ankle hurting from a sprain, feeling a little blue. My husband walked in and remarked that the spark in my eye was missing. He tried to talk to me to figure out what was wrong, but there wasn't a "reason" for my gloom other than the general environment of prevailing moroseness. Having understood that, he told me Let's play something.
Like what?
To start with, scrabble.
I'd never played scrabble before, but it sounded fun, so I agreed. He showed me the rules, and then our first match began. Within a few turns, I'd gotten the knack of the game. Now, out came my competitive side and I tried to play to win. However, he was quite a good player himself and that resulted in both of us being neck to neck, the lead changing in every other move. I was completely engrossed in the game. Finally, we were in the last lap with no more letters, and I formed my word, and had a lead of more than 10 points over him. We both thought I was going to win. However, he got a turn since both of us had letters left. He cleared out all the letters he had. Game over. We both looked at the screen, and to our mutual shock, he won by two dozen points. I had not accounted for the fact that my leftover letters would be deducted from my score and added to his--a double whammy. He was elated, and I outraged(both unduly exaggerated, for fun). I demanded another duel, because I wasn't aware of this rule. We have since played around 5 scrabble duels, enjoying every one of them. Not to brag, but I've won 4 of them, and even hit a scrabble bingo with a score of 99. :P
Scrabble with my husband is one of my favorite things now, and I eagerly wait for our duels.
My other favorite: Making pasta sauce. I have always been decent at cooking, but have never had an interest in it. Recently, I made my first pasta sauce, along with my husband. There was something magical about the process. The ingredients and spices cooked in the tomato puree, emanating a wonderful fragrance. Slowly, the flavors blended together, resulting in a mixture that looked and tasted delicious. I left it on to simmer for a while, even after it was done, to give it that extra taste. Finally, it was stored in the fridge. I looked forward to making pasta with this. For three evenings thereafter, I loved the feeling of pouring the sauce into the pasta, feeling the aroma envelop me. It felt like home and a warm hug, like sunlight and serenity. I shall soon be making my third pasta sauce this season.
I hope you find things that bring you happiness too! :)
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