Navigating the new normal…some things to think about…
Written by Simoni Bhansali
NORMAL? What was normal? A pre-corona life? They say 2019 was normal, 2020 has been crazy!
Normal was a life where we went about our daily existence from morning to evening and then again without worrying about locusts. When sitting in traffic in a big city for 2 or 3 hours daily was routine and not unexpected. When we would work towards the next pay cheque, promotion, a better job or a bigger project. When we ran around from dawn till dusk doing things that “we had to do” but not necessarily things we wanted to do. When buying cheap products at enviable prices was just a click away and discounts and fast fashion was commonplace and cool.
“Well, everyone does it.. so I guess it’s normal”. Normal was just what everyone did, and we followed and even perpetuated it. We went on to buy more than we needed, disposed things without batting an eyelid about the environmental impact. We saw smoggy skies, increased pollution levels, and that infrastructure and development increased at the cost of our natural eco-system.. apparently that was normal.
And then there was spending quality time with your loved ones. The 5 am drinking session with old school friends and not thinking a million times before leaning in for a high five or a hug or a kiss. Even eating birthday cake after the candles had been blown out with a gust of wind generated from someones mouth! But it was entirely acceptable back then.
We were all so caught up in all these things and products, and promotions that we just accepted it for what it was. Did we ever question this normal? But let’s be honest, no one had time for that! We were always running from one chore to the next rather hurriedly and complained that we were exhausted, stressed, too busy to think of even slowing down. We spent too long doing things and not enough time just ‘being’.
But then one day, things changed and the world, as we knew it, was brought to its knees.
The new normal?I write this post in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and suddenly we’re all hearing about a “new normal”. To be honest, a lot of us are already tired of discussing it and trying to figure out when this will end and what this will mean for all of us going forward.
Working from home became “normal”. Wearing gloves and a mask every time you step out became mandatory. Doing birthday celebrations on a zoom call with 20 friends screaming, but not even understanding what one is saying is typical. Tik Tok and instagram videos of celebrities doing dishes, cooking and doing the laundry is considered normal.
Stay home, but only get out for groceries or medicines, online shopping but only for essentials – all became normal. And with all these “new normals” came the time to think about how we actually wanted to spend our time.. we started to think about our consumption patterns and how we could all do with so much less…
I went to art school, and graduated in 2012, I lived a “normal” life – going from job to job, running around Bombay and the world. And it took a global pandemic for me to find time to start drawing again.
Spending time at home and playing cards with ageing parents became normal. Meeting friends only over scheduled zoom calls, or to battle at Ludo was normal. We started taking extra care for our near and dear ones, because we had the time and because this time came with daily sobering reminders that life, is fragile. It is beautiful. It is transient and everything can change in a minute.
We finally got the chance to call that friend I’ve been meaning to call or try the recipe I’ve been meaning to try. Cooking and baking became normal – I’m looking at you banana bread and #dalgona! We started doing things that nourished us, and truly made us and the people around us happy.
Yoga, home work outs, DIY face scrubs, body scrubs, home cleansers and so many other amazing things started happening, think of the plastic bottles that were saved from ending up in landfills. With so much time on our hands, we started experimenting and trying new things. So many acts of kindness – for the migrant labourers, for our community, for the doctors and for the watchman. This all became our “new normal”.
A lot of us promised that we would leave bowls of food out for dogs, cats and little bird baths so that the animals would find some much needed respite from the rising temperature.
The skies started clearing up, the air became cleaner, the earth started healing, and in a sense, so did we… And just like that, while there was fear, loss, pain and grief, some wonderful things started coming out of this global pandemic.
The best normal? To be honest, I am not sure when this pandemic will end. Slowly our country (India) has started lifting restrictions, and life is starting up again. This has been a difficult time for everyone, but for some more than others. Lives have been lost and this pandemic has really tested our mental and physical sanity…but it wasn’t all bad news.
The world as we knew it fell apart, and from it came a new beginning. A lot of good things came out of the “new normal”. There has been a greater understanding of what we truly need and want. And a new found sense of compassion for ourselves and those around us. A spark of doing things we love, rather than things “we have to”. How many us feel worse because we haven’t bought a new dress in the last 2 months? But how many of us feel better because we slept well and did what truly nourished our souls. Even if all you did was binge watch Netflix and play cards or read books late into the night. Random acts of kindness made their way from the internet into people’s homes and hearts. We learnt that we need each other more than we are able to admit and our planet, needs us to make better, more mindful choices too.
Let’s make life after lockdown the “best normal,” and not go “back to normal” but move forward. Move towards a better life where we take the good things from our past experiences and let those shape us into making this earth a kinder, better and happier place for all creatures great and small. A world where we stop to think about our choices and actions. Can a DIY scrub replace a store-bought plastic bottle face wash? Can supporting a small local brand make us happier than buying a mass manufactured item? Can staying at home and cooking for your family be more fulfilling than attending a party that you don’t really want to? Let’s think about these things and talk about them too.
Our experiences shape us, and let this one be no different. We have the power to decide what will be “normal” and with great power comes great responsibility.
About the founder:
Simoni Bhansali is a graphic designer, turned environmental warrior.
After her second stint in New York, she came back to India with a desire to create something that would align her creativity and passion for all things nature, whilst also supporting local craftsmen. An avid scuba diver, skier and outdoors enthusiast, the Parsons graduate, couldn’t continue to create products that harmed everything she held so dearly. After searching far and wide, she turned homeward and created a line of jewellery that uses upcycled marble and precious metals, in an effort to #addvaluetowaste.
Thus creating REAL STATE JEWELLERY. The name is a reminder of the dire current state of our planet, and the marble that was first procured from her husband’s Real Estate ventures.
About the brand:
Real State Jewellery is a combination of precious metal (gold/ silver) and upcycled marble taken from various sites around Mumbai India.
It is a reaction to the amount of waste generated by our urban lives, and a movement to #addvaluetowaste. All the pieces are handmade in Mumbai, India, and are limited edition. Stock lasts as long as our scrap marble lasts. Each piece has its own special imperfections, that make it unique. We revel in our differences. This is a slow fashion movement.
We at Real State Jewellery maintain the highest standards to ensure that we have minimal impact on the environment. Our “karigars” are given the fairest wages as per their requirements. And since our karigars are all men currently, we only hire women in the front office.
Social Media Handles
Website: therealstate.in
