Little pleasures lost to Covid-19

Among other things, the pandemic has robbed us of some of the little pleasures that we took for granted. Think about it. Until this disaster overtook the world, we were able to break out of the confines of our homes as the whim took us and indulge in walks, without masks and without sanitisers. Many were the familiar faces we came across and we hastened our steps to greet our friends and hold hands with them. Social distancing did not stop us from doing this. We walked down shopping arcades at will, looking for and examining all kinds of wares, enticingly displayed every which way we turned. Whether we will ever regain this lost happiness is anybody’s guess. However, the good news is that even in these challenging times, there is something called relief, which can turn quickly into sheer delight. Let me explain this a little bit.

When the CM announces that there will be no lockdown for now, one experiences a rejuvenating relief. News snippets such as these can set your pleasure pulse-pounding: ‘KSRTC honours women staffers’, ‘Splashes of yellow. Tabebuia Argentia in full bloom in Cubbon Park’, ‘Turahalli Forest spared for now as work begins in adjoining park.’ You may remark that such pieces of information are rare, but they give rise to a surge of hope and encouragement when they come. These are reading pleasures, but there is another kind of relief, one that metamorphoses into gladness and is common in everyday life. What a joy it is, for instance, when the test for Covid comes stamped with the label ‘negative.’ Never before was the word so full of positivity! We have a sigh of relief when labourers lay down their drilling tools and depart for lunch.

To add a few more, the hiss of boiling milk was heard in good time so that it did not spill over and cause loss and time-consuming cleaning; the missing cheque was found; the transformer sparked out but did not damage the TV or the washing machine; the pet dog that went missing came back safe and sound; the children who returned late from school did not meet with an accident but were delayed because the bus broke down; the baby next-door stopped crying and went to sleep allowing you a good night’s rest.
‘Sweet is pleasure after pain,’ wrote John Dryden. This was more than 300 years ago. Though relief cannot match the joy of celebrations untouched by pain, it acts as a lovely pick-me-up. The pandemic cannot stop anyone of us from revisiting relief and, what is more, the pleasure is entirely ours!