By Dave S. Albarado
Bedtime in Tagbilaran City
If there is one thing that changed in my life during this pandemic, it is my sleeping routine.
Prior to the pandemic, I always checked my cellphone to keep track of the time. If I found out before that it was not yet midnight, there was a huge chance for me to fight myself and insist on refusing to tuck myself to bed.
But just like the common adage, “There is nothing more permanent than change,” indeed, things have changed. Now, I understand what they mean by the term, “new normal”. As the young would say, “New normal na this.”
The community quarantine reintroduced the concept of total curfew. For people who lived through the ‘70s, the concept of total curfew was real and people had to stay indoors at night in order to avoid trouble.
These days, we stay indoors not because we have to stay out of trouble from the establishment, but to keep ourselves safe from the virus during these times when this “vulture” is tearing up many lives, symbolically and literally.
We stay out of harm’s way because our lives depend on it. The virus is so virulent and there is no telling who can get it or who it wants to get.
Curfew is the way to keep people out of the streets at night; curfew is the way that we reduce our chances of getting infected; curfew is the way to revisit our sense of discipline, not only for survival, but also to boost our morale – that we are strong because we are assured we are safe if we stay home. .
Inevitably, I have come to terms with my reality that the curfew has other functions beneficial to all. The curfew can serve as a way for families to bond and spend quality time together. Gone are the days when daddy would be in another city as he is bound to stay put in his house. For mom to be in the house before the curfew warning means more time to fix the bed, plan for the breakfast meal or lounge with the kids in the living room for a night movie.
Hey Dave, I have read almost half of your article, and there is no reference to sleeping in Tagbilaran.
Yes, I was about to go to that direction.
As vehicular traffic is non-existent during the curfew hours, people are now hearing less noise and less noise means less distractions that could prevent a person from getting a good night’s sleep. Before the curfew rule was imposed, silence was as expensive as diamond. Behold the “diamonds” in Tagbilaran City during the curfew time:
One good thing about sleep and curfew is that you always know when to get up in the morning. When the traffic flow returns, and the sound of running motorcycles start to stir your ear, it is probably because morning has broken. The magic of the curfew on one’s sleep suddenly vanishes away.
Sleeping in Tagbilaran is now comfortable, to say the least, as the noise is not as boisterous like in other places.
With the curfew, one can afford a good night’s sleep with a wake up call to boot.
Sleep in the new normal is all about getting a lot and having top quality. Sleep in the time of the pandemic is a luxury that people will appreciate more in the days to come.