“You can't waste your life like this yunno, you need to do something productive while on this lockdown,” I said to myself one extremely hot evening.

   I was shirtless, lying directly underneath the ceiling fan and still sweaty. I was tired of TV, I was tired of movies and animations. Most of all, I was sick of the social media. All they provided was more depressing news like I was not already depressed myself.

   I'd be a shame if I can't say to myself, ‘I've done something worthwhile during this difficult time.’

   I picked up my phone and earpiece to listen to my Taylor Swift's playlist. It's the only thing that comforts me when I'm down and inspires me when I needed it. And she didn't disappoint me.

   “You could do some writing, yunno,” my inner self told me. All of a sudden, I became a poet. I was writing down some lines and bursting some rhymes.

   See what I did there? Lol

   Anyway, I've already written a good number of pick up lines when I decided to look through my WhatsApp and I saw something interesting. As if PANS UNIBEN TV could read minds, they presented a poetry competition, Scriptoris Animo.

   I was a bit skeptical about competing but what could possibly go wrong? It's not like I'm an authority in poetry, the least that could happen might just be I won't be able to make it to the finals.

   That would hurt.

   “What the hell, just go for it,” I convinced myself. I constructed something and submitted with the very least of expectancy.

   Here comes another status I viewed, an opportunity to learn foreign exchange. This time, it's my roommate who read my mind. Forex was something I've been eager to learn for a while but didn't have the time and resources for.

   Samuel, my roommate hosted an online class on how to learn to trade with Forex, just the basics and so I joined in.

   For the first three days out of a week, I was a good student, dedicated and punctual. For the remaining days, I backslid and became a Marlian. Online classes were just not for me.

   At the peak of the lockdown, I noticed people wanting to be physically fit. They'd jog, run or walk every morning or evening.

   I'm not the excercise kind of person but I wanted to try this one, probably for the good of my health.

   “You're already fit, Ifeanyi. Why do you still want to work out?” my aunt asked.

   “I just want to live a healthy lifestyle, is that a bad thing?” I replied.

   “It's people like us with belly fat that should be working out, not you. You already have a flat tummy,” she responded.

   I laughed a little. “Let me just try it. There's no harm in trying, right? You can join me if you want.” With that, she gave up.

   I downloaded a training app and decided to work with it. I'd wake up by six, before my annoying alarm and kit up to go to the field, something I'm not used to.

   God know how much I hate mornings.

   After I completed a four weeks training plan which was a great struggle, I gave up. Is it just me or do I start something and leave it halfway? I guessed it proved I'm not a physical person either.

   “I'd just stick to writing,” I told myself. It's what I do best.

***
Hey readers, I hope you're enjoying this short story.
I just want to use this opportunity to encourage someone out there that there's always light at the end of the tunnel. We will surely bounce back and recover from this pandemic.

This part was inspired by a song.
If you love animations, you must have guessed it right...

Try Everything by Shakira
From the motion picture Zootopia

I'd like you to watch that animation or download the song....lots of love guys 💞💕