Spare a thought for the germaphobes now. These are the people who used hand sanitizers before the rest of us even knew that such products existed. And the germaphobes did not stop with that, oh no. They used sterile wet tissues; and like DiCaprio’s Howard Hughes from the Aviator, they used only one bar of soap per hand wash. They are nowhere to be spotted now. It is understandable that they might have retracted to the caverns of their bedroom, mail ordering everything they need.

There are many ways to live the human life, but living it like a snail or a tortoise is hardly the compensation for all the suffering one has to go through for it. So, do spare a thought for these people with an irrational fear of germs, who shiver with anxiety even in the sterile environs of an operation theatre, and not because they are getting operated, but because they fear the efficiency of the invisible army of germs. Think of them during the pandemic when everyone else freaks out as they hear a bystander cough or sneeze.

On the other hand, common cold is not so common now. In the last fourteen months, we have been trained to wash our hands, use hand sanitizers and wear masks to avoid the elite Delta Force of the Covid-19 that the local police force of common cold is not so common anymore. In fact, I do dearly miss it. The seven-day infection was such a useful reason to take a couple of days off from the mundane routine of my working days that I am depressed it is not so easy to catch a cold during the days of the Pandemic. You might say that we all work from home right now, and quiz me as to how does it matter anyway. I say, even while working from home, one feels the lack of the comfort one experienced when cuddling into a warm duvet, sipping through the hot chicken soup, and watching Netflix and chilling.

Well, these are some of the things to muse upon during the pandemic. What are we, if not a race of people who prefer to think about, within and especially outside the box?