Family gatherings have always been the highlight of any celebration for me. 

The happy children in new clothes, the abundant banquets, and the entire family all gathering in my aunt’s house are all moments I look forward to, and cherish, every year. 

However, for the second Eid in a row, our celebration has dramatically been altered due to measures in place battling Covid-19. 

Covid-19 struck the world like a category 5 hurricane drastically changing every single aspect of life as we know it without warning as governments across the globe scrambled to battle the spread of the pandemic which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. 

As a Bahraini, I’m eternally grateful and proud of my country’s pioneering initiatives that have placed the health of citizens and residents as a priority above all other concerns regardless of the financial costs involved. 

Although my mind is completely on board with measures in place to protect us as a nation from Covid-19, my heart broke when I had to see my niece and nephew through the glass without hugging them for the second Eid in a row. 

Placing my hand on the window from outside the house while the children placed their heads on the window from inside the house was the saddest most heart breaking moment I had to endure this year. 

You see, as humans we need to hug and touch one another, and this pandemic has drastically changed our ability to interact and our human nature - we had to adapt in order to survice. 

If someone told me a year ago that in 2020 I wouldn’t be able to gather with my family or hug the children during celebrations in order to save the world from a disease I would have laughed and dismissed the claims as insane fiction. 

However, now I’m praying that by this time next year the entire world has surpassed this pandemic and our lives would return to normal with the least casualties. 

We took our lives for granted, our family gatherings, our regular human interaction such as shaking hands and hugging, and our sense of calm around other people without fear of catching a disease. 

Although our lives have been changed, one thing remains the same - our faith that this pandemic will be over as long as we come together in solidarity and adhere to measures in place. 

I know it’s painful to be away from family - I know it’s annoying to wear a mask all the time in this heat - I know it’s boring without restaurants, gyms, cinemas and other social activities - I know it's inconvenient to implement social distancing - I know Bahrain isn’t Bahrain without its people celebrating humanity  through various festivals regardless of age, gender, race, nationality or religion. 

However, in order for us to come together once again we need to stay apart of a while.