So Valentines Day is here and the hearts are bursting – some with Cholesterol blocking the love tubes, and others, with fear of mobs and infection gripping them like a vise draining the blood and the will to celebrate the day as it should be celebrated – with roses and not their thorns pricking, reminding one of the vaccines – Dawai Bhi, aur Kadhai Bhi!
The second wave is now concurrent with the first wave of innoculations at the same speed.. but safety comes from the second booster dose, much like marriage does for a valentine – or does it? it does – you no longer hold hands, or rarely do, and wearing a mask at all times is not a hindrance anymore!
But how do you celebrate Valentine’s day with a Mask? Many have asked the question. And the answer is – take it off… briefly though!
You could hold hands but wash them thoroughly with soap and water before and after or wear gloves.
Spray the park bench … with a sanitizer, before you sit, and after. Cricket Commentary has it as catching a sitter! So remember, freedom of sitting, like expression (not the one on your face as you read this), comes with reasonable restrictions. When you leave the park bench better spray some sanitizer.
Freedom of Sitting comes with reasonable restrictions! it cannot be anywhere, anytime!! Public Places are best avoided, as the virus moves in groups. invisibly, and as the vigilance increases, it mutates. Many studies have uncovered this truth and the attack could come from unknown quarters.
But how do married couples survive Valentine’s Day? With flowers and perfumes or swapping chores? Especially they are stuck at home with each other, given that homes have become offices for a significant percentage of the population?
Kevin Knoster, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Communication Studies, West Virginia University led a study examining 165 married individuals and how their partners interfered with their daily routines in April 2020, a month into the pandemic. Their findings are published in Communication Research Reports.
“When you are impeding your significant other from accomplishing their goals or are disrupting their daily routines, there will be emotional responses,” Knoster said. “Based on our findings, more interference from your spouse leads to sadness and anger, and that’s independent of one another. This can lead to perceptions of a turbulent relationship.”
So don’t get in each other’s way. Stay out of the way or schedule your movements around the house in coordination with her / his screen time! You cant be the hero of every film she stars in now, can you? And in any case, all you want to hold by now is the mobile!
And Chocolates, Flowers, Cakes, and Diamonds – there is no restriction on any of those – but remember to wash your hands before you accept them – that is someone takes time and effort to get them to you. In the current economic scenario that’s a big if, not a when and where!
