Lockdown Diaries Nominee#13- Everything that feels home By Anjali Harjani

In the heart of the city on a disarmingly cold winter eve, I stroll down the road and I see a beehive of products on sale on a narrow lane that leads to a generation old restaurant. I smell the mouth-watering delicacies at the end of the market, with varieties that will make you come back for more, but then I wake up and I realize that I wake up every day surrounded by “homely attributes” in pursuit of normal for it has been more than 100 days since I dined out or even went out. We never imagined that we would have to be stuck inside for so long.
This time has made me realize that if it wasn’t for home, I would have probably never made it here. And while I used to consider that it’s only the family members who make that happen, there are other attributes too that make a real difference. I have recognized that it’s the sound of laughter, freshly laundered sheets every Wednesday, a well-stocked fridge, and a few arguments now and then that bring life to what we call “home”. The things we grew up with usually retain an iconic status and now is the time to tell them how special and welcoming they make our stay just by existing in our lives.

Dear Door,
I find it wholesome to give a greater part of my time to myself. Not having a personal space has never frustrated me before, but now, as an adult, I seek peace and quiet with adults and siblings watching television and playing loud music in the adjoining room. If there is anything that makes this chaos and disturbance in a middle-class family somehow tolerable for people like me who feel that they have absolutely no privacy, then it’s the realization that we can always shut the door and lock ourselves in.
As Caroline Flack said, “Everyone is battling something emotional behind closed doors.” You, my very own closed door, have seen me at my lowest sobbing to sleep, and have given me my highest by allowing me to disappear for a few moments and am grateful to you for that.

Dear Mirror,
You don’t lie, you never do. I stare back at myself and I can’t honestly say that I’m perfect but a part of me knows that I can never look down on myself because when I look in the mirror, I also see a daughter who is doing wonders, a girl who is working on herself intentionally or otherwise every day and most importantly a human who is proud of herself. Nobody gets you better than yourself and I don’t know if I could have ever imagined myself without looking into you. And every time I look into you, I discover something new about myself and I am grateful to you for that.

Dear Kitchen Essentials,
I love to call you “power tools” because every time I use you; you make me look like a pro. You make my “attempt at cooking” experience immensely incredible. My culinary efforts are nothing without you. From burning food to have undercooked it, from homemade baked goods to continental cuisines, from instant noodles to variations of spaghetti, you make everything seem so simple. I and my hidden chef have now successfully geared up to march into the kitchen every once in a while, and are grateful to you for that.
To quote Dorothy Gale from Wizards of Oz, “There’s no place like home” and you all are everything that feels home and more.

ReachIvy.com organized an online blog/vlog competition to provide people the unique opportunity to share their lockdown stories using their creativity. The competition met with a fantastic response from participants across 4 continents, and our jury has handpicked the Top 50 entries from them for the Popular Choice Award 2020!

The above entry has been submitted by Anjali Harjani from New Delhi, India. Kudos to Anjali for this beautiful piece!

Show your support and help Anjali win the contest by liking this blog post on all ReachIvy.com’s social media platforms!