Wishing all you awesome MOMMAS out there a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Hope you all had a great day with your family. With things and plans out of the normal, it sure was a uniquely memorable Mother's Day for me. There were so many random thoughts, concerns and moments of scare during the entire day that I had to bring it up here to confer with whoever has been riding this emotional roller coaster, and which seems to have become all the more jolty as a consequence of the global health crisis.
The day started with a carb-free breakfast- courtesy Mr. Hubs and Ms. Riri. I was looking forward to some hot pancakes considering how chilly the morning was, but the veggie-loaded scrambled eggs and vanilla fruit parfait with a side of tea didn't disappoint. Anything cooked by anyone with love is always welcomed by me. Undeniably, it was an unusual morning with me sitting by the breakfast table and daddy and Riri serving me hot breakfast, which honestly happens just once a year, but no complains. We chatted with my in-laws side of the family on Zoom and headed straight out to the backyard post-call and no-sooner the sun came out.
We hung out in the backyard for a good couple hours or may be longer. It had rained every single day last week and so when the sun came out we had to come out too. It was just one of the rare afternoons when we did nothing, just laughed and talked about home-improvement.
We treated ourselves to some ready-to-eat Indian meals over lunch which was another unusual thing. Hubs doesn't know how to cook and it was Mommy's day out, so packet food was heated over and served. I don't usually buy packet meals owing to all the sodium these contain, but ever since we went into quarantine- we treat ourselves to these on nights I don't feel like cooking. As we haven't been ordering takeouts, these are our cheat meals. I am a total foodie and this might be the longest I have gone without eating out at a restaurant and when I say longest- I mean 72 days. We all have our own share of scare and notions pertaining to this virus, and that was one reason why we weren't ordering food delivery or takeout.
So far everything was going good, I was feeling relaxed and was enjoying the pampering but deep down I was jittery. Why? Well, we had planned a photoshoot and ordered dinner pickup for later during the day and the thought of both was making me uneasy. I was a nervous wreck just thinking about how this would go. It has been almost two months the last time I stepped out for a photoshoot and 72 days since we last dined out.
I had two outfits planned including today's look. We did not have any photo location on mind, our only criteria was a quiet spot sans any human presence. We drove around town to find someplace where we could park, step out of the car, take some shots and drive away. As I had mentioned, the weather was incredible and just as we felt the need to be outside, so did most of DC. We eventually found this parking lot on a random street. First we pulled over, then waited a few minutes just to make sure no one was coming, then I got off the car and hubs took the pictures from inside the car. The entire time I was watchful making sure no one was coming closer to us. I was being careful not to touch the walls or anything off the street. I have to admit I wanted to just pause and cry and take a minute to compose myself- it was the most nerve-racking five minutes. I was scared I would touch something that might have the virus, or someone would just show up and sneeze around me and infect me. The fear is real folks and it is much more damage-causing than the disease itself!
Next stop was dinner pickup. The restaurant was in one of the busiest neighborhoods. It was on the same street where we had a nice Mother's Day brunch last year, which at that time hustled with mobs and shoppers but this year this street felt totally alienated. Some store fronts were boarded, rest was all shuttered. There were barely any people and it felt like a ghost town driving down this once-busy street. We called the restaurant as we approached closer, the manager stepped out with the food package. She wouldn't just drop it in our car-trunk which kind of is the new standard for curbside pickup. Anyways, hubs stepped down and headed cautiously toward the manager. Maintaining a safe distance he took the package and stowed it in our car trunk. No sooner he got into the car he sanitized his hands and shoes. We came home, changed our clothes while the food rested in the oven. It has been advised that the takeout food should be reheated in the conventional oven and all outside packaging be left outside the house as a precautionary measure. It is known to everyone that the virus doesn't contaminate food but you never know how well and with what sanitary level the food was cooked. Despite our inhibitions and all our mental-blocks we enjoyed the Mexican dinner that was neither cooked by me nor came out of a plastic packaging- win win!
It was a breather to head out for taking photos and pick up food but the fear underlying this action was so unpleasant. It was the most gut-wrenching sixty minutes. What has Madam Corona done to us and human race? When will this end, how will this end, will things ever be normal, how normal would things be, will people be able to overcome the fear and mental blocks- all these questions remain unanswered and as far as whether we will order takeout again is concerned- I AM HAPPY TO COOK AT HOME!
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