It has been 6 weeks since South Africa embarked on a countrywide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus to try and flatten the curve. The impact of this stay at home is having both positive and negative results in varying degrees but today we want to highlight the positive habits that some households have adopted. We would love for these habits to stay long after the virus has gone – when that day finally dawns.
Homemade goodies
Whether it’s cooking nutritious meals, baking banana bread, amagwinya, sourdough bread or brewing something, homemade is making a big comeback. Your ability doesn’t matter – home cooking can be learned and the more often you cook the better you get! Various studies suggest that home cooking improves health and your diet as we tend to eat less processed foods. Our favourite has been focaccia – an Italian bread that mixes veggies and herbs altogether. Let’s keep this positive habit going – it’s good for mind, body and soul!
Grow your own
Why have I not been growing my own food and baking sourdough bread before? So many of us have asked ourselves this during the lockdown. As the “essential foods” become obvious as we make more meals every day at home, we realise the benefit and joy of growing and plucking veggies from our backyards or pot plants. As most people try to stay healthy and support their immune system to avoid the virus, more and more people are starting to explore ways of growing their own foods. Just because winter is here doesn’t mean you have to stop either.
Connections with loved ones
Virtual tele-platforms have made it easy to reach out to friends and family during this time of social distancing. Without the excuse of a hectic social calendar, it has allowed people to make time for calling or writing to loved ones just to check up on them and find out how they are doing. As many people are “forced” into downtime, there is more thought given to connecting with friends and family which is a positive habit that adds up to a better quality of life.
Bartering system
The time spent at home has also made us aware of all the stuff we have acquired over time and have no use for anymore. Even though the trend has been more to barter a certain “red” or “white” beverage for another or trade homemade masks for a worthy cause, this is still a trend we would like to see growing in our communities. Imagine teaching a skill and in return you get a weekly bag of fresh veggies from your friend’s garden.
Gratitude and generosity
As we witness the growing food security issues across the country, more people are reaching deep into their dwindling funds and are donating food to food distressed communities. Although this generosity is much needed, we also need to find ways of building lasting ways of ensuring food security in our country. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) will be one way we can start building this up again.
These are just some of the positive habits and changes that allow us to see an upside to lockdown, especially as it stretches into no-end-in-sight. It is obviously a big blow for businesses and individuals, but with the moments of comfort, generosity and compassion kindled by this crisis (and a pinch of optimism now and again) we will overcome!
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