By Pauline Evora
I am a firm believer in making the best out of whatever life throws at you and I always look for the positive or silver lining in each situation. So despite the worries for my family and friends in France who are battling, recovering from, or lost the fight to Covid-19, I stay positive.
We welcomed some friends who were unable to go back home to Luzon and became a locked down community of 15 since Manila was closed. Having two children in the middle of this, I find it primordial to have an early start and a routine both for our physical and mental health. I wake up at 5 a.m. and practice an hour of Kundalini Yoga online with my yoga community. At 6:30, we all meet in the garden and start running around, followed by an hour of circuit training. We take turns cooking by team on our outdoor stove to save gas, work on group projects to fix the damages done by the typhoon around the house and enjoy time together and alone.
Both Alia and Gaia are on holiday for a few more days before starting online school again. They enjoy a lot of independent free playing so their imagination can run wild, draw, play cards, bake and help us all-around. They’ve learned how to use a hammer, tie nylon, clean wood. They help with cleaning and gardening.
Right now, our entire living room turned into a fort made out of high chairs, pillows, bamboo sticks, and blankets. We also take this time to connect with friends and family online. My parents are calling them for story time regularly, for instance. I take one day at a time, enjoying the slow pace of life and I am grateful every day we wake up healthy and safe while others are out there, fighting to keep us safe.