Our neighbourhood started nearly a couple of years ago. Being myself at work, he would gladly receive my home deliveries. When shopping around, I would shop for him also. This is mainly my assisting role towards him as pensioner and a staunch learner of Arabic, my native language.
One day, back from work, he did not answer the doorbell. Instead, he contacted me by phone to say that he contracted Covid 19 and that he had to isolate!
The following couple of weeks were marked by me leaving his shopping at his door and with his repeated telephone calls, not about health issues but mainly on language questions! At teatime in one evening, he rang to chat about the Arabic command verb, Istaqim, which he became fascinated with. He explained this fascination first by its language form giving the meaning: Be Straightforward but in one word! Secondly, by finding it both applicable and helpful to his daily routine.
I noticed that the smell of his vaping reaching our common corridor is no longer there. Raucous sounds from his flat have been amazingly hushed up! Fatty food has been replaced by vegetarian stuff. Herbs and Soft drinks replaced his earlier menu. Early mornings jogging and fitness outings became the norm of his days.
Sometime later, when I gave him a treat on a cup of tea, dried dates and crispy cookies, I found myself talked to by a different neighbour! He revealed that his infatuation with that magic word connotations and its applications were, basically, his self-prescriptions to cope with Covid. Beside the sanitary and other medical steps taken, he, from day one made an overwhelming plan to have all his daily actions done in an orderly and sound manner. He thought that it was dishonest to his health to continue bohemian routines with vaping, fatty foods/ unhealthy drinks and non-sporting. The Arabic magic word has even enhanced his moral attitude. Ahead of him, there has been a beacon of light to follow and a goal to achieve. This in turn has a psychological effect on both his body and reasoning thus giving fruition of his current healthy state! Magic word, is it not?!